Effects of fire on vegetation in fens at Seney National Wildlife Refuge

Woody encroachment and its effects on biodiversity in fens and grasslands has become an increasing concern in the conservation and management of plant communities. These data were collected to examine the effects of spring and summer prescribed burns on the plant community, cover, and structure in open and partially wooded fens at Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Michigan, using a before-after-control-impact design. Paired, 1-ha blocks were established in two fen areas, C3 and Marsh Creek, and data collected for two years before burning (2006-07) and three years after burning (2008-10). Treatments were C3 control, C3 spring burn (May 2008), Marsh Creek control, and Marsh Creek summer burn (July 2008); data were also collected from a block burned under drier conditions in July 2007. Data were collected annually at subsampling points arrayed along 5 transect lines in each block. Variables include water depth; litter depth; graminoid height; species richness and diversity; and percent cover of plant taxa, mosses, and open area. A total of 104 plant taxa over the five years in the C3 and Marsh Creek communities.