Effect of Fire on Honey Mesquite

Abstract

Based on this research and other work that has been reported, honey mesquite is very difficult to kill with fire on the High Plains and along river bottoms in the Rolling Plains. On upland sites in the Rolling Plains, 27% of the mesquite trees were killed following single fires. Using repeated fires on upland sites at 5 to 10 year intervals, the potential exists to kill 50% of the older mesquite trees. Seedlings of honey mesquite were easy to kill with moderate fires until they reached 1.5 years of age, severely harmed at 2.5 years of age, and very tolerant of intense fires after 3.5 years of age.