Longleaf pine and oak responses to hardwood reduction techniques in fire-suppressed sandhills in northwest Florida

Provencher, Louis; Herring, Brenda J.; Gordon, Doria R.; Rodgers, H. LeRoy; Tanner, George W.; Hardesty, Jeffrey L.; Brennan, Leonard A.; Litt, Andrea R.

doi:10.1016/s0378-1127(00)00525-9

Cited by 83 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The most xeric sites-termed pine sandhills-tend to have very low organic matter accumulation [23] and open understory [24]. Modern fire suppression from forest management or agriculture, however, has led to hardwood encroachment, the development of a woody mid-story [25] and altered cover and composition of understory vegetation [23,[26][27][28]. Without fire, litter from pines and hardwoods can accumulate as deep as 25 cm, especially near the bases of large trees [22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Re-introduction of fire to long-unburned stands (i.e., unburned for more than ~10 years) can reduce the hardwood component in the mid-story and facilitate the re-establishment of native forbs and graminoids in the understory [23,28,35,36]. Herbicide and mechanical treatments, by contrast, are more effective in removing the hardwood mid-story than in improving groundcover species richness [23,28]. Little is known, however, about the effects of any of these restoration treatments on the spatial patterning of soil biogeochemistry and understory vegetation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effect of Restoration Treatments on the Spatial Variability of Soil Processes under Longleaf Pine Trees

Lavoie

Mack

Hiers

et al. 2012

Forests

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Abstract:The objectives of this study were to (1) characterize tree-based spatial patterning of soil properties and understory vegetation in frequently burned ("reference state") and fire-suppressed longleaf pine forests; and (2) determine how restoration treatments affected patterning. To attain these objectives, we used an experimental manipulation of management types implemented 15 years ago in Florida. We randomly located six mature longleaf pine trees in one reference and four restoration treatments (i.e., burn, control, herbicide, and mechanical), for a total of 36 trees. In addition to the original treatments and as part of a monitoring program, all plots were subjected to several prescribed fires during these 15 years. Under each tree, we sampled mineral soil and understory vegetation at 1 m, 2 m, 3 m and 4 m (vegetation only) away from the tree. At these sites, soil carbon and nitrogen were higher near the trunk while graminoids, forbs and saw palmetto covers showed an opposite trend. Our results confirmed that longleaf pine trees affect the spatial patterning of soil and understory vegetation, and this patterning was mostly limited to the restoration sites. We suggest frequent burning as a probable cause for a lack of spatial structure in the "reference state". We attribute the presence of spatial patterning in the restoration sites to accumulation of organic materials near the base of mature trees.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Restoration Treatments on the Spatial Variability of Soil Processes under Longleaf Pine Trees

Lavoie

Mack

Hiers

et al. 2012

Forests

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“…Short-term effects of these hardwood removal techniques on plant community composition and structure have been well documented in the past [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. For instance, mechanical removal and herbicide application are generally more efficient than fire at removing overstory and mid-story hardwoods [19,24]. Mechanical removal may need repeated fires to prevent and control hardwood resprouting [19,20], while herbicide application may be detrimental to other species through non-target impacts (e.g., insects, reptiles, etc.)…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, mechanical removal and herbicide application are generally more efficient than fire at removing overstory and mid-story hardwoods [19,24]. Mechanical removal may need repeated fires to prevent and control hardwood resprouting [19,20], while herbicide application may be detrimental to other species through non-target impacts (e.g., insects, reptiles, etc.) [25,26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 1994, the Longleaf Pine Restoration Project (LPRP) was established in fire-suppressed (greater than 20 years) longleaf pine sandhills of Eglin Air Force Base, Northwestern Florida, to explore the effects of restoration treatments on vegetation and faunal community composition and soil processes [19,20,[42][43][44][45][46]. Experimental treatments applied included three hardwood reduction techniques (spring burning, herbicide application and chainsaw felling/girdling) and delayed burn (continued fire-suppression until 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Restoration Techniques on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in Florida Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) Sandhill Forests

Lavoie

Mack

Hiers

et al. 2014

Forests

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Historic fire suppression and intensive forest management in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) sandhill forests has resulted in hardwood encroachment and degradation of this fire-dependent ecosystem. Active management is now required to restore native community structure and composition, but little is known about the long-term impacts of typical restoration techniques on ecosystem properties. In 1994, the Longleaf Pine Restoration Project (LPRP) was established in fire-excluded longleaf pine sandhills of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, to explore the effects of restoration treatments on plant and animal community composition and soil processes. Experimental treatments applied included three hardwood reduction techniques and delayed burn. Reference sites were concurrently monitored. Fifteen years later, we revisited the LPRP plots to determine whether soil processes showed lasting treatment effects. This study showed that there were OPEN ACCESSForests 2014, 5 499 no differences in soil C and N between the reference and the fire-suppressed plots prior to the treatments, suggesting that soil C and N were relatively resistant to degradation. This study also showed that the restoration treatments had a significant effect by reducing soil C, but this effect was only short-lived (<3 years). In addition, a MRPP (multi-response permutation procedure) analysis showed that only the herbicide treatment was still different from the reference plots 15 years after the initial treatments. Thus, this study suggests that repeated fires (or lack of) or hardwood removal treatments have little detectable effect on soil nutrients in these nutrient-poor ecosystems.

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Individual Species Management: Threatened Taxa and Invasive Species

Simberloff¹

2007

Managing and Designing Landscapes for Conservation

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Longleaf pine and oak responses to hardwood reduction techniques in fire-suppressed sandhills in northwest Florida

Cited by 83 publications

References 13 publications

The Effect of Restoration Treatments on the Spatial Variability of Soil Processes under Longleaf Pine Trees

The Effect of Restoration Treatments on the Spatial Variability of Soil Processes under Longleaf Pine Trees

Effects of Restoration Techniques on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in Florida Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) Sandhill Forests

Individual Species Management: Threatened Taxa and Invasive Species

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