PS 53-82
Early response to initiation of prescribed burning in montane longleaf pine
Prescribed burning is a widely accepted method of preserving and restoring longleaf pine ecosystems. These results are part of an ongoing study of how reintroducing fire into a montane longleaf ecosystem after several decades without fire is affecting longleaf recruitment at Oak Mountain State Park. Plots were surveyed in an area burned in 2008 and 2011, and in a nearby unburned area. Both southeastern and northwestern slopes were included. Due to high fuel loads and dry conditions, the 2008 fire burned hotter than is typical in a healthy longleaf forest, but altered the forest structure to better resemble healthy longleaf woodlands.
Results/Conclusions
Canopy cover was lower in southeastern slopes, burned plots, and above seedlings compared to the other treatments. Average daily high temperatures were much higher in the burned plots and leaf litter depth and moisture were lower. Despite these improvements in conditions for longleaf recruitment, juvenile longleaf density was thirteen times higher in unburned southeastern slopes than the other burn and aspect combinations. There are several possible explanations for these unexpected patterns. The 2008 fire likely killed many of pre-existing juvenile longleaf seedlings and saplings. It is also possible that conditions have not been good for seed production on the burned site since the reintroduction of fire, especially if potential parent trees were stressed due to the burn. Despite these unexpected findings, with time and continued periodic burns, we expect to see that the restoration plot will have substantially improved recruitment in longleaf compared to unburned areas.