The Effect of Fire season and Fire Frequency on Savannah-Woodland Vegetation
The matrix below serves as a simplification of the interaction between fire frequency and fire season.

The impact of these two factors depends very much on the amount of fuel that is able to build up between fires.

Fire Season
Fire Frequency:
Early Season
Damage to woody material is less than in later season fires since fires are not as intense as they would be in the late season.  (Rutherford 1981)
Also, most woody plants are dormant.

Grasses that are induced to flush out of season will be weakened and will not sprout as vigorously during the coming growing season.
Late Season
Damage to woody plants is higher than in the early season.  Fires are generally more intense to cause the damage (Rutherford 1981). 

The phloem is active at the breaking of dormancy.  Woody plants that coppice, flower or produce leaves before the onset of the rains will have these plant parts damaged (Büschel 1999).
Low Frequency
Fuel load builds up between fires.  Not only light fuels such as grasses and leaf litter will accumulate.  Bushes and trees will provide more woody material

This increased fuel load leads to higher intensity fires when they do actually occur.

Between fires woody plants may develop from stages where they may be damaged by fires to less susceptible stages (Vermeulen 1990).

Plants have the opportunity to recover.

 The vegetation develops towards  woodland.  However, some very intense fires may cause even trees to be killed. The vegetation develops toward closed woodland.  However most fires will cause a setback due to the damage to young trees, re-growth and leaves or flowers, as well as to lower woody components
High Frequency
There is little chance to build up fuel loads between fires since any accumulation is soon removed.

Fuels are likely to include more grass and leaf litter than woody material.

Woody plants have little time to develop from susceptible into fire hardy stages.  This is particularly important for seedlings.

Plants that have been damaged have little time to recover before the next fire.

 The vegetation will develop towards  woodland.  If burning continues, the woodland may then be replaced by grassland with scattered trees.In Namibia, fire hardy woody plants may dominate. The vegetation will develop towards very open woodland or grassland (Trapnell 1959).  Plants have little opportunity to recover from fire-damage.