scholarly journals Flammability Characteristics of Surface Fuels in a Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) Woodland

Fire ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raien K. Emery ◽  
Justin L. Hart
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Clustering Analysis ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Flame Height ◽  
Standard Errors ◽  
Vegetation Feedbacks ◽  
Flammability Characteristics ◽  
Quercus Spp ◽  
Pinus Spp

To investigate fuel flammability, we quantified burning characteristics of 21 fuel categories in a longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) woodland in central Alabama, USA. Litter was burned under controlled laboratory conditions. Flammability characteristics, including resistance to ignition, flaming duration, smoldering duration, maximum flame height, and percent consumption, were measured. The fuels were hierarchically clustered into five groups of similar flammability characteristics that explained 89% of the variance. Percent consumption and maximum flame height values ranged from 7% ± 1 standard errors (SE) and 12 cm ± 1 SE for the low flammability group (bark and charcoal), to 86% ± 1 SE and 62 cm ± 3 SE for the high flammability group (bracken fern (Pteridium latiusculum (Desv.) Hieron. ex R.E.Fr. = {syn: P. aquilinum}), grass, and fire-facilitating oak (Quercus spp.) leaves). Results support observed flammability differences between fuel types such as oak and pine (Pinus spp.) litter, and duff, and provide a previously unquantified comparison of surface fuels comprehensive of a longleaf pine community. Further, clustering analysis indicated that plant species that become abundant post-disturbance may help maintain fire-vegetation feedbacks in the absence of pine litter. Understanding flammability characteristics of surface fuels may further inform prescribed fire application in stands where fuels have been altered.

Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) Branch Pruning by Prescribed Fire

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P McGuire ◽  
John S Kush ◽  
J Morgan Varner ◽  
Dwight K Lauer ◽  
J Ryan Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Wood Quality ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Planting Density ◽  
Prescribed Fires ◽  
Pine Tree ◽  
Southeastern Us ◽  
Tree Survival ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Efforts to restore longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) in the southeastern US require substantial artificial regeneration. Once established, important questions remain about when to introduce fire. We investigated the impact of initial planting density on tree branching and how prescribed fire might interact with tree architecture and survival. A particular focus was on how prescribed fires could “prune” lower branches. Lower density plantings (897 trees ha−1) had more and larger live lower branches than higher density plantings (2,243 trees ha−1). Fire was effective in pruning lower branches regardless of season burned, but fire in the growing season was more effective at pruning. Branches up to a height of 1.5 to 2 m were killed by fire. Fire applied in August caused greater damage with more needles scorched and/or consumed and more stem char. Prescribed fire did not impact longleaf pine tree survival. In general, fire applied to longleaf pine facilitated pruning lower branches that affect long-term wood quality, an additional argument for its utility in restoration and management of these ecosystems.

scholarly journals The vascular flora of the Lake Thoreau Environmental Center, Forrest and Lamar counties, Mississippi, with comments on compositional change after a decade of prescribed fire

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 413-433
Author(s):  
William J. McFarland, ◽  
Danielle Cotton, ◽  
Mac H. Alford ◽  
Micheal A. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
University Of Southern Mississippi ◽  
The North ◽  
Rich Diversity ◽  
North American Coastal Plain

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) ecosystems exhibit high species diversity and are major contributors to the extraordinary levels of regional biodiversity and endemism found in the North American Coastal Plain Province. These forests require frequent fire return intervals (every 2–3 years) to maintain this rich diversity. In 2009, a floristic inventory was conducted at the Lake Thoreau Environmental Center owned by the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The Center is located on 106 ha with approximately half covered by a 100+ year old longleaf pine forest. When the 2009 survey was conducted, fire had been excluded for over 20 years resulting in a dense understory dominated by woody species throughout most of the forest. The 2009 survey recorded 282 vascular plant species. Prescribed fire was reintroduced in 2009 and reapplied again in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018. A new survey was conducted in 2019 to assess the effects of prescribed fire on floristic diversity. The new survey found an additional 268 species bringing the total number of plants species to 550. This study highlights the changes in species diversity that occurs when fire is reintroduced into a previously fire-suppressed system and the need to monitor sensitive areas for changes in species composition.

scholarly journals Intra-Annual Variation in Soil C, N and Nutrients Pools after Prescribed Fire in a Mississippi Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) Plantation

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 181
Author(s):  
John R. Butnor ◽  
Kurt H. Johnsen ◽  
Christopher A. Maier ◽  
C. Dana Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Soil Chemistry ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Southern Pine ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Soil C And N ◽  
C And N

Prescribed fire is an essential tool that is widely used for longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) stand management; periodic burning serves to reduce competition from woody shrubs and fire-intolerant trees and enhance herbaceous diversity. Low-intensity, prescribed burning is thought to have minimal long-term impact on soil chemistry in southern pine forests, although few studies report the intra-annual variation in soil chemistry after burning. We monitored changes in C, N, oxidation resistant C (CR), pH and elemental nutrients in the forest floor and soil (0–5, 5–10 cm depths) before and after burning (1, 3, 6, 12 months) in a mature longleaf pine plantation at the Harrison Experimental Forest, near Saucier, Mississippi. Prescribed fire consumed much of the forest floor (11.3 Mg ha−1; −69%), increased soil pH and caused a pulse of C, N and elemental nutrients to flow to the near surface soils. In the initial one to three months post-burn coinciding with the start of the growing season, retention of nutrients by soil peaked. Most of the N (93%), Ca (88%), K (96%) and Mg (101%), roughly half of the P (48%) and Mn (52%) and 25% of the C lost from the forest floor were detected in the soil and apparently not lost to volatilization. By month 12, soil C and N pools were not different at depths of 0–5 cm but declined significantly below pre-burn levels at depths of 5–10 cm, C −36% (p < 0.0001), N −26% (p = 0.003), contrary to other examples in southern pine ecosystems. In the upper 5 cm of soil, only Cu (−49%) remained significantly lower than pre-burn contents by month 12, at depths of 5–10 cm, Cu (−76%), Fe (−22%), K (−51%), Mg (−57%), Mn (−82%) and P (−52%) remain lower at month 12 than pre-burn contents. Burning did not increase soil CR content, conversely significant declines in CR occurred. It appears that recovery of soil C and N pools post-burn will require more time on this site than other southern pine forests.

Silviculture that sustains: the nexus between silviculture, frequent prescribed fire, and conservation of biodiversity in longleaf pine forests of the southeastern United States

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (11) ◽  
pp. 2724-2736 ◽  
Author(s):  
R J Mitchell ◽  
J K Hiers ◽  
J J O'Brien ◽  
S B Jack ◽  
R T Engstrom
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Patterns And Processes ◽  
Conservation Of Biodiversity

The longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) forest ecosystems of the US southeastern Coastal Plain, among the most biologically diverse ecosystems in North America, originally covered over 24 × 106 ha but now occupy less than 5% of their original extent. The key factor for sustaining their high levels of diversity is the frequent application of prescribed fire uninterrupted in time and space. Pine fuels, critical to application of fire and regulated by canopy distribution, provide the nexus between silviculture and fire management in this system. Typical silvicultural approaches for this type were, in large part, developed to maximize the establishment and growth of regeneration as well as growth and yield of timber, with much less regard to how those practices might influence the ability to sustain prescribed burning regimes or the associated biodiversity. However, many landholdings in the region now include conservation of biodiversity as a primary objective with sustained timber yield as an important but secondary goal. This review synthesizes the literature related to controls of biodiversity for longleaf pine ecosystems, and silvicultural approaches are compared in their ability to sustain natural disturbance such as fire and how closely they mimic the variation, patterns, and processes of natural disturbance regimes while allowing for regeneration.

scholarly journals Host preference of ectomycorrhizal fungi in mixed pine–oak woodlands

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann L. Rasmussen ◽  
Ryan R. Busby ◽  
Jason D. Hoeksema
Keyword(s):  
Ectomycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Host Preference ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Plant Succession ◽  
Broad Host Range ◽  
Unexpected Finding ◽  
Community Interactions ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Pinus Spp

Many ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) are generalists, but most plant genera that form ectomycorrhizas have at least some fungal partners that are specific to that host genus. Because shared mycorrhizal fungi mediate plant community interactions, host preference has implications for plant succession and competition. We studied the EMF of oaks (Quercus spp.) and pines (Pinus spp.) in a forest in northern Florida, USA, focusing on symbionts shared with longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.). Longleaf pine is an important species in the southeastern USA, both for timber plantations and for restoring savanna and woodland habitat. However, we found no research on the composition of naturally occurring EMF on longleaf pine roots. A lower proportion of EMF operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were found colonizing both oaks and pines than expected, providing evidence of host preference within the community. Although most EMF were detected only on either oaks or pines, the OTUs found on both tended to be frequently occurring and abundant. Cenococcum OTUs were found to be significantly associated with oaks, an unexpected finding as this genus is widespread, with a broad host range. These results suggest that host preference of EMF may structure EMF communities and therefore influence ecosystem effects of mycorrhizal networks.

scholarly journals Virulence of Leptographium serpens on Longleaf Pine Seedlings Under Varying Soil Moisture Regimes

Plant Disease ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 92 (11) ◽  
pp. 1574-1576 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Matusick ◽  
L. G. Eckhardt ◽  
S. A. Enebak
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Moisture Stress ◽  
Lesion Size ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Seedling Mortality ◽  
Pine Seedlings ◽  
Moderate Drought ◽  
Pinus Spp

Recently, Leptographium serpens has been recovered from the roots of declining and dead longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) in stands associated with various abiotic stresses. Although most data suggest that L. serpens is pathogenic to various Pinus spp., there is little known of its virulence on longleaf pine or its relationship with abiotic stress in causing disease. These trials examined the effects of L. serpens infection coupled with drought stress. Trials began with wound inoculations of bareroot longleaf pine seedlings in spring 2006 and 2007 at the seedling stress facility at Auburn University. Soon after inoculation, seedlings were also subjected to adequate moisture, moderate drought, or severe drought. Sixteen weeks after inoculation, longleaf pine survival, L. serpens virulence, and seedling growth characteristics were measured. Longleaf pine seedlings inoculated with L. serpens had 33% mortality (138/420) which was significantly greater than nonwounded control seedlings (22%, 47/211). Survival and lesion size on longleaf pine suggests that L. serpens is moderately pathogenic to longleaf pine seedlings. Separately, moisture stress associated with low soil moisture also contributed to seedling mortality. Results suggest that L. serpens infection and moisture stress commonly experienced by southern pines act independently to stress longleaf pine.

scholarly journals Physiological Mechanisms of Foliage Recovery after Spring or Fall Crown Scorch in Young Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris Mill.)

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 208
Author(s):  
Mary Anne S. Sayer ◽  
Michael C. Tyree ◽  
Eric A. Kuehler ◽  
John K. Jackson ◽  
Dylan N. Dillaway
Keyword(s):  
Gas Exchange ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Stem Growth ◽  
Starch Accumulation ◽  
Crown Scorch ◽  
Growth Loss ◽  
Developmental Responses

We hypothesized that physiological and morphological responses to prescribed fire support the post-scorch foliage recovery and growth of young longleaf pine. Two studies conducted in central Louisiana identified three means of foliage regrowth after fire that included an increase in the gas exchange rate of surviving foliage for 3 to 4 months after fire. Saplings also exhibited crown developmental responses to repeated fire that reduced the risk of future crown scorch. Starch reserves were a source of carbon for post-scorch foliage regrowth when fire was applied in the early growing season. However, the annual dynamics of starch accumulation and mobilization restricted its effectiveness for foliage regrowth when fire was applied late in the growing season. As such, post-scorch foliage regrowth became increasingly dependent on photosynthesis as the growing season progressed. Additionally, the loss of foliage by fire late in the growing season interrupted annual starch dynamics and created a starch void between the time of late growing season fire and mid-summer of the next year. The occurrence of drought during both studies revealed barriers to foliage reestablishment and normal stem growth among large saplings. In study 1, spring water deficit at the time of May fire was associated with high crown scorch and poor foliage and stem growth among large saplings. We attribute this lag in stem growth to three factors: little surviving foliage mass, low fascicle gas exchange rates, and poor post-scorch foliage recovery. In study 2, May fire during a short window of favorable burning conditions in the tenth month of a 20-month drought also reduced stem growth among large saplings but this growth loss was not due to poor post-scorch foliage recovery. Application of this information to prescribed fire guidelines will benefit young longleaf pine responses to fire and advance efforts to restore longleaf pine ecosystems.

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