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Landscape History of Natural Communities
Historic survey data providing the location
of bearing trees in Georgia in 1819 |
It is a priority for the Fire Ecology Program to better understand the natural distribution and characteristics of natural communities in northern Florida and southern Georgia in order to identify and prioritize them for conservation. One effort has been to identify differences between old-field (post-agriculture) pinelands and native (never-plowed) longleaf pinelands, which typically have higher plant species richness and more rare plants. Another effort has been to characterize native Shortleaf pine-oak-hickory communities in the region, which historically have been often mistaken for old-field pine forests. Also, historic data, including land surveys and maps, are being used to reconstruct the most likely distribution of natural community types in the region. These findings are important for guiding restoration of natural communities and identifying natural community fragments for conservation.
References:
Ostertag, T.E. and K.M. Robertson. 2006. A comparison of native versus old-field vegetation in upland pinelands managed with frequent fire, south Georgia, USA. Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference Proceedings 23:109-120.
Tall Timbers Research Notes:
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