Extensive cattle raising, one of the main economic activities of the Cerrado area of Gouveia, has being carried out with the use of technique that frequently includes the use of vegetation burning. This study has the objective to verify the effects of burning on the soil vegetation cover and on the biomass production. A catena sequence was sampled and 6 areas, placed in the centre of a geomorphological site, were selected for soil profile observation and for vegetation collection and measurement. Three of these points were localised in places recently burned (less than a week) and three outside the area affected by fire. In each area, four samples of epiphea phytomass were collected using a 0,25 m2 quadrate. To determine soil vegetation cover, the leaf aerial index (LAI) has been used and the total foliar area per unit of the terrain, obtained through the equipment "Plant Canopy Analyser LI-COR 2000" that gives indirect values of the AFI. An increase of the biomass in the burned areas by the end of the rainy season (April) was observed. The values are ranging from 3.15±0.34 ton/ha to 4.92±0.77 ton/ha in those burned areas, and from 4.42±1.23 ton/ha to 5.00±0.72 ton/ha in those not burned. The values of the LAI have also shown rapid increase after the fire action, reaching after the rainy season values varying between 1,2±0,31 e 2,12±0,2 in those burned, and 1.27± and 2,0±0.55 in those not burned. The results after a year of observation and measurements confirm the rapid recuperation of the grass/herbaceous strata in the geotropic savannahs after burning. This has in important influence on soil protection to prevent erosion.
*This research was financially supported by FAPEMIG.