Informing adaptive forest management: A hazard rating tool for southern pine beetleDendroctonus frontalisin pitch pine barrens

Abstract

1. Climate change is facilitating a novel range expansion of southern pine beetle (SPB) into globally rare north-eastern pitch pine barrens.2. By assessing stand conditions present in SPB-infested and uninfested pitch pine stands on Long Island, NY, USA, we developed a regionally-calibrated hazard rating model that predicts stand-level SPB susceptibility.3. The model indicates that a stand's SPB susceptibility increases with (1) increasing pitch pine basal area, (2) increasing instances of previous year SPB spots nearby, and (3) sandy soil texture.4. The model informs adaptation strategies to a novel pest dynamic by supporting the identification and prioritization of high hazard stands for prevention management.5. An alignment between treatments effective in reducing SPB vulnerability and conserving pine barrens communities indicates that pine barrens can be managed both to improve resilience to future threats and preserve historic ecological conditions.

Fire, land use, and the long-term dynamics of a pitch pine woodland in coastal Maine, USA

“…Before Euro-American settlement, pitch pine occurred mainly on xeric slopes and exposed ridgetops in the southern and central Appalachians and glacial outwash sands, outcrops, and dunes in New England and was maintained by fire of lightning or Indigenous origin (Abrams & Ruffner, 1995;Gawler & Cutko, 2018;Motzkin et al, 1999;Parshall et al, 2003;Williams, 1998). Periodic fire regenerated pitch pine populations by exposing mineral soil, reducing cover, and opening serotinous cones, when present (Abrams & Nowacki, 2021;Forman, 2012;Jamison et al, 2023;Jordan et al, 2003;Parshall et al, 2003;Stambaugh et al, 2019;Williams, 1998). In the absence of disturbance, pitch pine is usually replaced by more shade-tolerant species (e.g., Abrams & Nowacki, 2021;Copenheaver et al, 2000;Howard et al, 2011;Jamison et al, 2023;Nowacki & Abrams, 2008;Patterson III et al, 1983;Williams, 1998).…”

“…Periodic fire regenerated pitch pine populations by exposing mineral soil, reducing cover, and opening serotinous cones, when present (Abrams & Nowacki, 2021;Forman, 2012;Jamison et al, 2023;Jordan et al, 2003;Parshall et al, 2003;Stambaugh et al, 2019;Williams, 1998). In the absence of disturbance, pitch pine is usually replaced by more shade-tolerant species (e.g., Abrams & Nowacki, 2021;Copenheaver et al, 2000;Howard et al, 2011;Jamison et al, 2023;Nowacki & Abrams, 2008;Patterson III et al, 1983;Williams, 1998). On the most xeric outcrops, however, pitch pine can self-perpetuate in the absence of disturbance, with little invasion by tolerant species (Abrams & Orwig, 1995;Williams, 1998).…”

“…Pitch pine (Pinus rigida Mill.) is a globally rare tree species that occurs on xeric sites in eastern North America from the southern Appalachians in the USA into far southern Canada (Abrams & Nowacki, 2021;Forman, 2012;Jamison et al, 2023;Little & Garrett, 1990;Williams, 1998). Supporting a rich assemblage of rare species, pitch pine communities are threatened by development and succession to more mesophytic species in the absence of frequent disturbance (Bried & Gifford, 2010;Grand et al, 2004;Howard et al, 2011;Jamison et al, 2023;Nowacki & Abrams, 2008;Thompson et al, 2022;Wagner et al, 2003).…”

“…The disturbance history of pitch pine, therefore, has created a complex mosaic of stands, with different roles for lightning, anthropogenic burning, and intensive land use. Regardless of history, where disturbance has ceased, most pitch pine stands are today facing successional replacement by more shade tolerant species, including oaks (Howard et al, 2011;Jamison et al, 2023;Jordan et al, 2003; and maples (Abrams & Nowacki, 2021;Nowacki & Abrams, 2008). Active management is generally required to maintain open shrublands and woodlands with a large pitch pine component (Abrams & Nowacki, 2021;Jamison et al, 2023;Jordan et al, 2003;.…”

Influence of barrens restoration treatments on soil carbon, nitrogen, and mercury pools and emissions

“…Barrens are generally composed of a variety of vegetation communities that vary in structure, composition, and canopy cover. For example, pine barrens range from open‐canopy prairies to pine and oak savannahs and closed‐canopy forests (Jamison et al., 2023; Radeloff et al., 2000). Barren vegetation is generally controlled by the frequency of fire, with more frequent fires leading to more open‐canopy vegetation communities.…”