Subtle effects of a managed fire regime: A case study in the longleaf pine ecosystem

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 212-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus A. Lashley ◽  
M. Colter Chitwood ◽  
Annemarie Prince ◽  
Morgan B. Elfelt ◽  
Eric L. Kilburg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fire Regime ◽  
Longleaf Pine

scholarly journals Fire Survival of Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) Grass Stage Seedlings: The Role of Seedling Size, Root Collar Position, and Resprouting

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1070
Author(s):  
Songheng Jin ◽  
Brett Moule ◽  
Dapao Yu ◽  
G. Geoff Wang
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Current Frequency ◽  
Seedling Size ◽  
Grass Stage ◽  
Root Collar

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) forest is a well-known fire-dependent ecosystem. The historical dominance of longleaf pine in the southeast United States has been attributed to its adaptation known as the grass stage, which allows longleaf pine seedlings to survive under a frequent surface fire regime. However, factors affecting post-fire survival of grass stage seedlings are not well understood. In this study, we measured live and dead longleaf pine grass stage seedlings to quantify the role of seedling size, root collar position, and sprouting in seedling survival following a wildfire in the sandhills of South Carolina. We found that fire resulted in almost 50% mortality for longleaf pine grass stage seedlings. Fire survival rate increased with seedling size, but a size threshold for fire tolerance was not supported. Fire survival depended on the position of root collar relative to the mineral soil. Seedlings with protected root collars (i.e., buried in or at the level of mineral soil) experienced <21%, while seedlings with exposed root collars (i.e., elevated above mineral soil) suffered >90% post-fire mortality. Ability to resprout contributed to 45.6% of the total fire survival, with the small seedlings (root collar diameter (RCD) < 7.6 mm) almost exclusively depending on resprouting. Our findings had significant implications for fire management in longleaf pine ecosystems, and the current frequency of prescribed fire in sandhills might need to be lengthened to facilitate longleaf pine natural regeneration.

Multiscale modeling of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris)

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 2080-2089 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Louise Loudermilk ◽  
Wendell P. Cropper
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Matrix Model ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Landscape Connectivity ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Landis Model

There are few remaining longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris Mill.) ecosystems left in the southeastern coastal plain of the United States. Restoration and maintenance of these remaining habitats requires an understanding of ecosystem processes at multiple scales. The focus of this study was to develop and evaluate a modeling framework for analyzing longleaf pine dynamics at the spatially explicit landscape scale and at the spatially implicit population scale. The landscape disturbance and succession (LANDIS) model was used to simulate landscape fire dynamics in a managed forest in north-central Florida. We constructed a density-dependent longleaf pine population matrix model using data from a variety of studies across the southeastern United States to extend an existing model. Sensitivity analyses showed that the most sensitive parameters were those from the original pine model, which was based on extensive observations of individual trees. A hybrid approach integrated the two models: the fire frequencies output from the LANDIS model were input to the matrix model for specific longleaf pine populations. These simulations indicated that small isolated longleaf pine populations are more vulnerable to fire suppression and that landscape connectivity is a critical concern. A frequent prescribed fire regime is nonetheless necessary to maintain even large longleaf pine sandhill communities that have better landscape connectivity.

Microelevational Differences Affect Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) Sensitivity to Tropical Cyclone Precipitation: A Case Study Using Lidar

2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 89
Author(s):  
Evan E. Montpellier ◽  
Paul A. Knapp ◽  
Peter T. Soulé ◽  
Justin T. Maxwell
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris

Strong anthropogenic signals in historic forest fire regime: a detailed spatiotemporal case study from south-central Norway

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (9) ◽  
pp. 836-845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Olaf Storaunet ◽  
Jørund Rolstad ◽  
Målfrid Toeneiet ◽  
Ylva-li Blanck
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fires ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fire Scars ◽  
Time Intervals ◽  
Slash And Burn ◽  
South Central

To better understand the historic range of variability in the fire regime of Fennoscandian boreal forests we cross-dated 736 fire scars of remnant Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) wood samples in a 3.6 km2 section of the Trillemarka-Rollagsfjell Reserve of south-central Norway. Using a kernel range application in GIS we spatially delineated 57 individual forest fires between 1350 and the present. We found a strong anthropogenic signal in the fire regime from 1600 and onwards: (i) infrequent variably sized fires prior to 1600 shifted to frequent fires gradually decreasing in size during the 1600s and 1700s, with only a few small fires after 1800; (ii) time intervals between fires and the hazard of burning showed substantial differences pre- and post-1600; (iii) fire seasonality changed from late- to early-season fires from the 1626 fire and onwards; and (iv) fire severity decreased gradually over time. Written sources corroborated our results, narrating a history where anthropogenic forest fires and slash-and-burn cultivation expanded with the increasing population from the late 1500s. Concurrently, timber resources increased in value, gradually forcing slash-and-burn cultivators to abandon fires on forest land. Our results strengthen and expand previous Fennoscandian findings on the anthropogenic influence of historic fire regimes.

scholarly journals Seasonality of Biennial Burning Has No Adverse Effects on Mature Longleaf Pine Survival or Productivity

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Willis ◽  
Ajay Sharma ◽  
John S. Kush
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Volume Growth ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Size Class ◽  
Dormant Season

Emulating natural disturbance has become an increasingly important restoration strategy. In the fire-maintained woodlands of the southeastern United States, contemporary restoration efforts have focused on approximating the historical fire regime by burning at short intervals. Due to concerns over escape and damage to mature trees, most prescribed burning has occurred in the dormant season, which is inconsistent with the historical prevalence of lightning-initiated fire in the region. This discordance between contemporary prescribed burning and what is thought to be the historical fire regime has led some to question whether dormant season burning should remain the most common management practice; however, little is known about the long-term effects of repeated growing season burning on the health and productivity of desirable tree species. To address this question, we report on a long-term experiment comparing the effects of seasonal biennial burning (winter, spring, and summer) and no burning on the final survival status, height, diameter, and volume growth of 892 mature longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) over 23 years in three mature even-aged stands in southern Alabama, United States. Overall, longleaf pine survival across all treatments averaged 81 ± 2% [s.e]. Among seasonal burn treatments, survival was highest in the spring burns (82 ± 4%) but did not vary significantly from any other treatment (summer – 79 ± 4%, winter – 81 ± 4%, unburned – 84 ± 4%). However, survival was statistically influenced by initial diameter at breast height, as survival of trees in the largest size class (30 cm) was 40% higher than trees in the smallest size class (5 cm). Productivity of longleaf pine was not significantly different among treatment averages in terms of volume (38.9–44.1 ± 6.0 m3 ha–1), diameter (6.0–6.7 ± 0.3 cm), and height (2.5–3.4 ± 0.4 m) growth. Collectively, our results demonstrate that burning outside the dormant season will have little impact on mature longleaf pine survival and growth. This finding has important implications for the maintenance of restored southeastern woodlands, as interest in burning outside the dormant season continues to grow.

scholarly journals Relations in the Size Variation of Plant Organs: a Case Study of Staghorn Sumac Leaves and Longleaf Pine Cone Scales

2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Xiongwen Chen ◽  
Kimberly A. Bowman ◽  
Zhuo Chen
Keyword(s):  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Power Laws ◽  
Minimum Length ◽  
Plant Organs ◽  
Scaling Relationships ◽  
Growth Regime ◽  
Pine Cone ◽  
New Information

Plants automatically control the size variations in organs to achieve efficient exploitation of resources. However, it is unclear whether the scaling relationships of plant organs share a similar character for different individuals under varied micro-conditions (e.g., light and soil water). We conducted a case study of the lengths of staghorn sumac leaves and longleaf pine cone scales to test the relationships. Our results indicated that although there were size variations, there existed power laws of frequency in the lengths of staghorn sumac leaves and longleaf pine cone scales. The exponents differed but were positively correlated with the minimum length of leaves or cone scales. Taylor&rsquo;s Law existed in the lengths of cone scales and some tree leaves, and scale break was observed. This study provides new information on scaling relationships and self-organization in the patterns of tree parts arrangement. Taylor&rsquo;s Law may be used to detect minor changes in the growth regime.

Longleaf Pine Management on the DeSoto National Forest—A Case Study

1989 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-40
Author(s):  
Gene A. Sirmon ◽  
Roger W. Dennington
Keyword(s):  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
National Forest ◽  
Culture Care ◽  
Artificial Regeneration ◽  
Pine Regeneration ◽  
Trained Personnel ◽  
Bareroot Seedlings

Abstract Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill) reforestation efforts were successful on the National Forest in south Mississippi when foresters began applying the proper technology. Artificial regeneration by planting bareroot seedlings and natural regeneration by the shelterwood system bothresulted in a plantation success rate consistently above 90%. This success can be attributed to better site preparation, better seedling culture, care, and handling, and more highly trained personnel committed to excellence in longleaf pine regeneration. South. J. Appl. For. 13(1):34-40.

scholarly journals Effects of overstory structure and fire regime upon diversity and abundance of selected understory species in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) forests in southeastern Georgia

2012 ◽  
Vol 49 (No. 9) ◽  
pp. 395-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Keith Moser ◽  
Yu Chui Kwan
Keyword(s):  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Percent Cover ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Fire Return Interval ◽  
Return Interval

We examined the impacts of variation in overstory structure and burning regime on understory vegetation in the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) forest of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Georgia, U.S.A. On sandy upland sites surrounding the Okefenokee Swamp and on islands, we established five randomly-located 0.04-ha plots within each of six study areas. The plots varied in overstory density, past management and fire regime. We measured overstory tree size of longleaf pines in the 0.04-ha plots and percent cover of ground cover species in five 1-m2 subplots nested within each 0.04-ha plot. We also calculated diversity indices for the ground cover species. There was no significant relationship between overstory basal area and any diversity measure. Even at the subplot level, there was no significant relationship observed between the diversity measures and distance to the nearest tree, presumably a surrogate for overstory density. The diameter (DBH) of the nearest tree exhibited a slight influence over the Shannon Index, and the nearest tree&rsquo;s height was significantly related to evenness in each subplot. There were varied relationships between individual species and fire regime or nearest tree measurements. There was a definite, but statistically insignificant, trend of decreasing diversity with increasing years since the last burn. Height of the nearest tree positively influen&shy;ced evenness, probably reflecting the influence of stochasticity and amount of needle deposition (influencing fire behavior) over a wide area. Within the generally equal fire-return interval across sites, individual fire-events and site-specific behavior apparently influence understory diversity. It is not surprising that the last burn would affect species richness, even more so than the number of growing-season burns, other studies support this observation. The presence of obligate seeding and (clonal) sprouting as dominants in the ground cover suggests that the fire-return interval is not regular. The cycling of fire-return intervals, even within the manage&shy;ment-prescribed 2- to 4-year range, and the variation by microsite appear to provide sufficient variability of disturbance to create diversity in the ground-level cohort. Site-specific relationships between particular species and the nearest tree suggest that even a narrowly-prescribed fire management regime can provide sufficient diversity.

Effects of Fire Regime and Habitat on Tree Dynamics in North Florida Longleaf Pine Savannas

1995 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff S. Glitzenstein ◽  
William J. Platt ◽  
Donna R. Streng
Keyword(s):  
Fire Regime ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pine Savannas
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