The effects of irregular burning of vegetation by man were studied in relation to composition and productivity in a non-agricultural montane grassland in the Chongsun area, Kangwon-Do, Korea.
The floristic composition in all study area includes 38 species. Three of the stations are dominated by Arundinella hirta and one is dominated by Miscanthus sinensis.
The standing crop of the first station, which was fired in early spring, 1970, was 358.7g/㎡ to 497.5g/㎡; that of the second station, fired in late 1969 was 351. 5g/㎡; the third station, fired sometime in 1968, had a standing crop of 314.5g/㎡ to 397.1g/㎡; the fourth station, having had no recent fires, had a standing crop of 370.Og/㎡ to 448.Og/㎡.
The daily productivity shows a maximum of 6.03g/㎡ in the first station, and a minimum of 0.85g/㎡ in the fourth station. The productivity of grassland in the study area is at a maximum during July and August because of much precipitation, and decreases rapidly in the months to follow.
The productive structure of the first and fourth stations is shown in Fig. 2 and 3. At the first station the maximum height attained by the plants was 180cm. In the height range of 50cm to 100cm there was a maximum of assimilative organs (5.6g/0.25㎡×10㎝), while in the height range below 50㎝ there was a maximum of non-assimilative organs (13.0g/0.25㎡×10㎝). At the fourth station, which has not been fired recently, the maximum height reached by the plants was commonly below 100㎝. The assimilative organs showed a maximum abundance in the height range of 40㎝ to 50㎝ (4.5g/0.25㎡ × 10㎝). while the non-assimilative organs showed their greatest abundance in the height range below 10㎝(6.0g/0.25㎡ × 10㎝).
There was a direct relationship between daily productivity and organic matter, available phosphorous, exchangeable calcium and potassium.
It appears that the nutrients provided by the ash created in the firing of the study can be an important factor in the productivity of these grasslands.
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