The juniper (Juniperus ashei) - oak (Quercus sp.) woodlands of central Texas are susceptible to crown fire due to climate change, land use change, and fire suppression. Low-intensity prescribed fire is one method used to reduce fuel loads and lower the risk of crown fire. Better knowledge of the impacts of prescribed fire on fuel loads, vegetation structure, and the endangered golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia), a songbird that breeds exclusively in these woodlands, is needed to inform management decisions. We conducted a before-after control-impact study on three plot-pairs within Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, to determine the response of fuel loads, vegetation structure, and golden-cheeked warblers to prescribed fire. We measured fuel loads and vegetation structure before fire (2012), and again one year (2014) and six years (2019) after fire. We then evaluated the year × treatment interaction in each time interval to determine if there was a fire effect by fire severity score (a measure of fire impact). We found no significant year × treatment interaction on fuel loads in 2014 or in 2019, but there was a significant year × treatment interaction for juniper seedling density, juniper sapling density, non-juniper seedling density, non-juniper sapling density, canopy cover, and litter depth in one or both years. Juniper seedling and sapling density had significant declines in areas of severe fire effects in 2014, and juniper sapling density stayed lower even through 2019. Non-juniper seedling and sapling density increased dramatically in 2019 in areas that experienced severe fire effects; however, we note that the majority of sapling stems were from resprouting which is the predominate method of oak persistence in this ecosystem. Juniper seedling density, canopy cover, and litter depth all showed an interaction effect in 2014 but not in 2019, possibly indicative of recovery. We monitored golden-cheeked warblers during 2012–2014 and 2019 (although we did not determine breeding success in 2013) and found prescribed fire had varying effects on golden-cheeked warblers. There was a significant interaction for territory density in 2013 and 2014 but not in 2019; density remained similar on control plots in 2013 and 2014 but declined in 2019, whereas density declined in 2013 and 2014 but stabilized in 2019 on treatment plots. Breeding parameters were similar across time intervals, except number of fledglings per successful territory was lower on treatment plots in 2019 than 2012. Six years post-fire, golden-cheeked warblers mostly avoided areas where canopy mortality had occurred, except in woodlands categorized with a red oak-juniper canopy and a juniper understory pre-fire, where they had a relatively high probability of use in severely impacted areas. Prescribed fire achieved some management goals (e.g., lower densities of young junipers and higher densities of young oaks) but did not meaningfully reduce fuel loads in the short or intermediate time periods. Additional time is necessary to determine if oak regeneration on the treatment plots results in mature trees.

由于气候变化，土地用途变化和灭火，得克萨斯州中部的杜松（Juniperus ashei）-橡树（Quercus sp。）林地易受冠火的影响。低强度规定的起火是一种用于减少燃料负荷并降低树冠起火风险的方法。更好地了解明火对燃料负荷，植被结构和濒临灭绝的金颊莺（Setophaga chrysoparia），一种只在这些林地中繁殖的鸣禽，才能为管理决策提供依据。我们对得克萨斯州巴尔康内斯峡谷地国家野生动物保护区内的三个地块对进行了前后对照控制研究，以确定燃料负荷，植被结构和金黄色莺对指定火的响应。我们测量了火灾前（2012），火灾后一年（2014）和火灾后六年（2019）的燃料负荷和植被结构。然后，我们评估每个时间间隔中的年×治疗交互作用，以通过火灾严重性评分（火灾影响的度量）来确定是否存在火灾影响。我们发现2014年或2019年燃料负荷无显着年×处理交互作用，但杜松幼苗密度，杜松树苗密度，非杜松幼苗密度，一年或两年内的非杜松树苗密度，树冠覆盖度和垫料深度。2014年，在有严重火害的地区，杜松树苗和树苗的密度显着下降，甚至到2019年，杜松的树苗密度仍保持较低水平。在发生严重火灾的地区，2019年非杜松树苗和树苗的密度显着增加。但是，我们注意到，大多数树苗的茎来自于重新发芽，这是该生态系统中橡树持久性的主要方法。杜松幼苗密度，冠层覆盖度和凋落物深度在2014年均表现出交互作用，但在2019年则没有相互作用，可能表明有所恢复。我们在2012-2014年和2019年期间监视了金莺，尽管我们并未确定2013年的繁殖成功与否，并发现规定的火种对金莺有不同的影响。2013年和2014年，领土密度存在显着的相互作用，而2019年则没有。2013年和2014年对照样地的密度保持相似，但在2019年下降，而2013和2014年样地的密度下降，但在2019年稳定。各个时间间隔的繁殖参数相似，不同的是，2019年治疗地块的每个成功地区的雏鸟数量均低于2012年。大火后六年，金黄色的莺在大多数情况下避开了发生冠层死亡率的地区，但被归类为林地的林地除外。红橡树柏树冠和杜松林下的预火，它们在受灾严重的地区有较高的使用概率。规定的火灾达到了一些管理目标（例如，较低的杜松木密度和较高的橡树密度），但并没有在短期或中期降低燃油负荷。需要额外的时间来确定处理地块上的橡树再生是否会导致树木成熟。