As the woody legume, Prosopis glandulosa (honey mesquite) has encroached into grasslands and rangelands in the southern Great Plains, USA, two grass species, C₄ shortgrass, Buchloe dactyloides (buffalograss), and C₃ mid-grass, Nassella leucotricha (Texas wintergrass), have increased in dominance. Occurrence of more productive C₄ mid-grasses and herbaceous diversity have declined. We measured effects of various combinations of spring clipping (to simulate cattle grazing) and summer and/or winter fire treatments on the stability of monoculture patches of these two grass species over an eight-year period, with the goal of reducing Nassella and increasing C₄ mid-grass cover. All fire treatments top-killed most Prosopis trees that subsequently resprouted. Buchloe cover declined in the No Clip + No Fire treatment but remained intact with clipping and/or fire. Frequent clipping reduced Nassella cover across all fire treatments. Buchloe encroachment into Nassella patches was greatest in the Clip + Alternate Season fire treatment. C₄ mid-grass cover increased to 15–25% in Nassella patches in several fire-only or Clip + Fire treatments; greatest gains were observed in treatments that included summer fire. In contrast, C₄ mid-grass gains were lower in Buchloe patches. These results suggest that C₄ mid-grass restoration was linked with treatments that reduced Nassella cover.

Data were collected in a field study in north central texas, USA, after plots were exposed to dufferent prescribed fire treatments and/or clipping treatments to simulate grazing. All data were collected over a 9-year period of time. Field observations of ground cover of different grass species, forbs, litter and bareground were recorded in the field, verified with photographs of 0.5 x 1.0 m small plots, and entered into an excel spreadsheet for analysis.