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’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 influen­ced 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 manage­ment-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.

Long-term effects of fire and fire-return interval on population structure and growth of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris)

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (7) ◽  
pp. 1410-1420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelcy R. Ford ◽  
Emily S. Minor ◽  
Gordon A. Fox
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Experimental Treatment ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Fire Return Interval ◽  
Return Interval

We investigated the effect of fire and fire frequency on stand structure and longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris P. Mill.) growth and population demography in an experimental research area in a southwest Florida sandhill community. Data were collected from replicated plots that had prescribed fire-return intervals of 1, 2, 5, or 7 years or were left unburned. Experimental treatment burns have been ongoing since 1976. Plots were sampled to estimate species distribution, stand structure, and longleaf pine density in four developmental stage classes: grass, bolting, small tree, and large tree. Tree-ring growth measurements in combination with burn history were used to evaluate the effects of fire and fire-return interval on basal area increment growth. Fire-return interval impacted stand structure and longleaf pine population structure. Our results suggest that recruitment from the bolting stage to later stages may become adversely affected with very frequent fires (e.g., every 1 or 2 years). Although adult tree productivity was negatively impacted during fire years, tree growth during years between fire events was resilient such that growth did not differ significantly among fire-return intervals. Our study shows that the longleaf pine population as a whole is strongly regulated by fire and fire-return interval plays a key role in structuring this population.

Fire regimes and vegetation sensitivity analysis: an example from Bradshaw Station, monsoonal northern Australia

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron Yates ◽  
Jeremy Russell-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Fire History ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
Sensitive Species ◽  
Obligate Seeder ◽  
Return Interval ◽  
Noaa Avhrr

The fire-prone savannas of northern Australia comprise a matrix of mostly fire-resilient vegetation types, with embedded fire-sensitive species and communities particularly in rugged sandstone habitats. This paper addresses the assessment of fire-sensitivity at the landscape scale, drawing on detailed fire history and vegetation data assembled for one large property of 9100�km2, Bradshaw Station in the Top End of the Northern Territory, Australia. We describe (1) the contemporary fire regime for Bradshaw Station for a 10 year period; (2) the distribution and status of 'fire sensitive' vegetation; and (3) an assessment of fire-sensitivity at the landscape scale. Fire-sensitive species (FSS) were defined as obligate seeder species with minimum maturation periods of at least 3 years. The recent fire history for Bradshaw Station was derived from the interpretation of fine resolution Landsat MSS and Landsat TM imagery, supplemented with mapping from coarse resolution NOAA-AVHRR imagery where cloud had obstructed the use of Landsat images late in the fire season (typically October–November). Validation assessments of fire mapping accuracy were conducted in 1998 and 1999. On average 40% of Bradshaw burnt annually with about half of this, 22%, occurring after August (Late Dry Season LDS), and 65% of the property burnt 4 or more times, over the 10 year period; 89% of Bradshaw Station had a minimum fire return interval of less than 3 years in the study period. The derived fire seasonality, frequency and return interval data were assessed with respect to landscape units (landsystems). The largest landsystem, Pinkerton (51%, mostly sandstone) was burnt 41% on average, with about 70% burnt four times or more, over the 10 year period. Assessment of the fire-sensitivity of individual species was undertaken with reference to data assembled for 345 vegetation plots, herbarium records, and an aerial survey of the distribution of the long-lived obligate-seeder tree species Callitris intratropica. A unique list of 1310 plant species was attributed with regenerative characteristics (i.e. habit, perenniality, resprouting capability, time to seed maturation). The great majority of FSS species were restricted to rugged sandstone landforms. The approach has wider application for assessing landscape fire-sensitivity and associated landscape health in savanna landscapes in northern Australia, and elsewhere.

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.

Patterns and controls of ecosystem function in longleaf pine - wiregrass savannas. I. Aboveground net primary productivity

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 743-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J Mitchell ◽  
L Katherine Kirkman ◽  
Stephen D Pecot ◽  
Carlos A Wilson ◽  
Brian J Palik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
N Mineralization ◽  
Environmental Gradient ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Aboveground Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Resource Limitations

Longleaf pine - wiregrass (Pinus palustris Mill. - Aristida stricta Michx.) woodlands occupy sites ranging from deep, xeric sandhills to the edge of wetlands in the southeastern United States. Aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) of the overstory and understory were determined for three replicate sites of three site types (xeric, intermediate, and wet-mesic) that span a wide environmental gradient. In addition, soil moisture (at 30 and 90 cm) and N mineralization (in situ buried bag incubations) were measured through an annual cycle. Longleaf pine - wiregrass ecosystems varied by nearly twofold in ANPP across complex gradients. Overstory and understory and total (overstory and understory) ANPP were positively correlated to soil moisture at 30 and 90 cm. The proportion of understory ANPP relative to the total ANPP did not increase across the environmental gradient as predicted by hypotheses that invoke niche differentiation in rooting habits of grasses and trees. Contrary to expectations, cumulative net N mineralization was negatively related to soil moisture. All ANPP estimates were significantly and negatively related to cumulative N-mineralization. Further work is needed to explore the mechanisms by which soil moisture regulates productivity across space, time, and for individual species. Additional experimentation through resource addition would allow for investigations into multiple resource limitations and how resource limitations vary depending on gradient position.

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 Effect of Container Size at Time of Planting on Tree Growth Rates for Baldcypress [Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich], Red Maple (Acer rubrum L.), and Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris Mill.)

2010 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-99
Author(s):  
Belinda Lambert ◽  
Steven Harper ◽  
Stephen Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Tree Growth ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Taxodium Distichum ◽  
Wetland Mitigation ◽  
Planting Density ◽  
Percent Cover ◽  
Red Maple

The ecosystem restoration and wetland mitigation industries are challenged with recreating vegetative communities at an accelerated rate, while at the same time remaining cost effective. These created systems are typically bound by permit conditions to meet certain tree growth criteria in a specified time frame, commonly five years. Stock sizes of container grown trees are generally #1, #3, or #7 (gallons). The purpose of this study was to determine the relative cost effectiveness of these planting sizes for three commonly used species and to assess whether they achieve common success criteria for height, percent survival, and percent cover. These three species are baldcypress [Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich], red maple (Acer rubrum L.), and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.). Based on the standard planting density of 174 trees/hectare, the most cost-effective size was #3 in all cases. All three sizes of baldcypress and red maple met the 3.7 m height criterion; no size of longleaf pine met the criterion. All sizes of all species failed to meet both the 85% survival standard and a theoretical minimum 50% cover calculated from canopy diameter measurements. If planting densities are increased to meet cover requirements and to offset mortality, container size #1 may be more favorable for baldcypress and red maple, but not for longleaf pine. The study was conducted in Pinellas County, Florida, U.S.

Ecosystem carbon stocks in Pinus palustris forests

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 476-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa J. Samuelson ◽  
Tom A. Stokes ◽  
John R. Butnor ◽  
Kurt H. Johnsen ◽  
Carlos A. Gonzalez-Benecke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Coarse Roots ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Stocks ◽  
Below Ground

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) restoration in the southeastern United States offers opportunities for carbon (C) sequestration. Ecosystem C stocks are not well understood in longleaf pine forests, which are typically of low density and maintained by prescribed fire. The objectives of this research were to develop allometric equations for above- and below-ground biomass and quantify ecosystem C stocks in five longleaf pine forests ranging in age from 5 to 87 years and in basal area from 0.4 to 22.6 m2·ha−1. Live aboveground C (woody plant + ground cover) and live root C (longleaf pine below stump + plot level coarse roots + plot level fine roots) ranged from 1.4 and 2.9 Mg C·ha−1, respectively, in the 5-year-old stand to 78.4 and 19.2 Mg C·ha−1, respectively, in the 87-year-old stand. Total ecosystem C (live plant + dead organic matter + mineral soil) values were 71.6, 110.1, 124.6, 141.4, and 185.4 Mg C·ha−1 in the 5-, 12-, 21-, 64-, and 87-year-old stands, respectively, and dominated by tree C and soil C. In the 5-year-old stand, ground cover C and residual taproot C were significant C stocks. This unique, in-depth assessment of above- and below-ground C across a series of longleaf pine stands will improve estimates of C in longleaf pine ecosystems and contribute to development of general biomass models that account for variation in climate, site, and management history in an important but understudied ecosystem.

A 400-year history of fires on lake islands in south-east Sweden

2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 1050 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mats Niklasson ◽  
Igor Drobyshev ◽  
Tomasz Zielonka
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Fire Spread ◽  
Small Islands ◽  
Fire Return Interval ◽  
Lake Ecosystems ◽  
Return Interval ◽  
Fire Disturbances ◽  
Fire Intervals

Island-lake ecosystems are suitable for testing scale dependence in forests disturbance theories thanks to differences in the potential for fire spread on islands and the mainland. We investigated past fire regime on the mainland and on islands in a large lake in south-east Sweden. We used dendrochronological methods to reconstruct fire disturbances on 18 small islands (0.04–24.1 ha) and in 43 sites in the surrounding 75-km2 landscape over the last 400 years. In the past, fires were frequent on both islands and mainland but not synchronised on an annual scale. Significant temporal changes occurred around the middle of the 18th century. Before 1750, fires were less frequent on islands than on the mainland (median fire return interval 58 v. 25 years respectively). However, an inversion of this pattern was observed during 1750–1860: islands showed even shorter fire intervals than mainland locations, suggesting additional and likely human-related source of ignitions (median fire return interval 15 v. 29 years respectively). A substantial decrease in fire activity in both islands and mainland was apparent in 1860–1890. We suggest that the present fire regime (the last 100 years) on the small islands is largely natural as fire suppression is not present there. The dynamic nature of the fire regime on islands still requires further studies: islands may, at times, attract lightning, humans with fire, or both.

scholarly journals Longleaf Pine Restoration: Implications for Landscape-Level Effects on Bird Communities in the Lower Gulf Coastal Plain

2003 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W. Tucker ◽  
Geoffrey E. Hill ◽  
Nicholas R. Holler
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Selective Logging ◽  
Neotropical Migrants ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Riparian Habitats

Abstract The longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem of the southeastern United States is among the most heavily degraded of all ecosystems. Less than 1% of the original longleaf pine forests remain as old-growth stands. Eglin Air Force Base (Eglin) in northwest Florida contains the largest remaining extent of longleaf pine, but much of this habitat has been degraded through fire suppression, selective logging, and planting off-site species of pines. We examined the distribution of bird species among habitats during spring and fall 1994–1995 to assess the influence of large-scale habitat restoration on bird communities across the landscape. During both spring and fall, species richness and relative abundance of neotropical migrants were greatest in oak hammocks and riparian habitats. During spring, the abundance of resident species was greatest in barrier island scrub and flatwoods, but species richness of residents also was high in oak hammocks. During fall, both species richness and abundance of residents were greatest in oak hammocks and flatwoods. Analyses of abundance for individual species (both neotropical migrants and residents) suggested that each habitat examined was important for ≥1 species. An analysis examining the importance of habitats for conservation found that oak hammocks and riparian habitats were important for species of high management concern, but burned sandhills along with oak hammocks and riparian habitats were very important for species of the greatest management concern. Our results suggest that habitat modifications resulting from restoration of the longleaf pine ecosystem will benefit many species of management concern. Bird species negatively affected by habitat modifications for longleaf pine restoration were abundant in other habitats. South. J. Appl. For. 27(2):107–121.

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