Effects of Fire Regimes on Southern Pine Communities

Frequency of fire has a dominant effect on the ecology of southern U.S. pine ecosystems. Increasing evidence suggests that lightning strike-initiated fires once maintained 1-3 year fire intervals in natural pine forests, and that such frequent fire is necessary for maintaining native biodiversity and wildlife. The fragmentation of the modern landscape requires us to replace natural fires with prescribed fire. However, resource constraints and other barriers to burning cause most pinelands to be burned much less frequently, if at all. The Fire Ecology Program conducts research to better understand what is the appropriate fire frequency needed to achieve specific land management goals, including biodiversity, wildlife management, and fire hazard reduction.

The Fire Ecology Program makes us of use of various Tall Timbers long-term studies, including the Tall Timbers Stoddard Fire Plots, Pebble Hill Fire Plots, NB66 (not burned since 1966) research plot, and the Woodyard Hammock long-term study. The program also collaborates with similar projects across the country. These long-term studies allow measurements of effects of fire frequency for a wide range of ecological variables, including plant species richness, community structure, hardwood stem topkill, fuel loading, fire behavior, pine and hardwood tree demography, soil nutrient and carbon cycling, and wildlife habitat quality.

3-year, 2-year, and 1-year fire interval on Tall Timbers Fire Plots (Stoddard Plots), Tallahassee, FL. Photo by Kevin Robertson

3-year, 2-year, and 1-year fire interval on Tall Timbers Fire Plots (Stoddard Plots), Tallahassee, FL. Photos by Kevin Robertson.

References:

Robertson, K.M. and T.E. Ostertag. 2007. Effects of land use on fuel characteristics and fire behavior in pinelands of southwest Georgia. Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference Proceedings 23:181-191.

Robertson, K.M. and T.E. Ostertag. 2003. Fuel characteristics and fire behavior predictions in native and old-field pinelands in the Red Hills Region, southwest Georgia. Proceedings of the 2nd International Wildland Fire and Fire Management Congress, Orlando, FL.

Robertson, K.M. 2009. Effects of fire regime on Upland Pine Forests wildlife habitat. Final Report to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy, Tallahassee, FL.

Robertson, K.M.

Tall Timbers Research Notes and E-News Articles: