Following two fires, one in February and one in April, ungrazed cane produced new stands by midsummer which were practically equal in height to the preburn stands. Growth of shrub sprouts was less rapid. Periodic burning eliminates the fire hazard during the first growing season and reduces it for 2 or 3 years.
Grazing also reduces the fire hazard in cane stands.
In the pocosins of North Carolina, grazing reduced the total combustible material per acre by 43 percent. Grazing should be withheld for the first part of the growing season to assure full development of a sufficient number of new stems to replenish the stand.