Frequent Prescribed Fire Sustains Old Field Loblolly Pine–Shortleaf Pine Woodland Communities: Results of a 53-Year Study

Abstract

Frequently burned old field shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata)–loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) woodlands in the southeastern US provide important wildlife habitat and multiple ecosystem services. Because these communities differ in composition of dominant plant species and have different land use legacies than native pine savannas, the ability to prevent encroachment by off-site broadleaf woody tree species using fire alone is in question. We use a long-term fire experiment to demonstrate that old field pine communities have been prevented from transitioning to hardwood forests for over 50 years through judicious application of prescribed fire applied at 1–2 year intervals, whereas communities with three-year fire intervals show signs of transitioning to hardwood forest. We emphasize tailoring fire regimes to particular contexts of land use history to achieve the most historic and sustainable ecosystem structure and function possible for conservation of native flora and fauna. Study Implications: Demonstrating the ability to maintain natural forest structure of old field loblolly pine–shortleaf pine communities in the southeastern US using frequent prescribed fire has implications for the future sustainability of hundreds of thousands of hectares of such land used to provide critical habitat for many species of imperiled and culturally valued wildlife. It also provides insight into restoration of longleaf pine communities on postagricultural land as promoted by multiple highly funded government initiatives. Frequently burned pine savannas and woodlands are resilient to wildfire and sustain natural hydrological cycles, both important for mitigating the effects of global climate change.

COVID-19 lockdowns drive decline in active fires in southeastern United States

“…In pine flatwoods, for example, significant differences in fuel loading, fireline intensity, and rates of spread result from just a single year of additional growth ( 36 ). Even in more xeric upland pine ecosystems, where productivity is lower, threshold responses occur in fuel load and corresponding ecological conditions affecting fire ( 37 ). These effects cascade to invertebrate and vertebrate responses that can also be degraded with additional fire-free years in these frequent fire ecosystems ( 35 ).…”

“…These effects cascade to invertebrate and vertebrate responses that can also be degraded with additional fire-free years in these frequent fire ecosystems ( 35 ). Based on the evidence from these long-term studies ( 37 ), potential continued COVID-19 restrictions lingering into the 2021 fire year may increase fire hazard and alter a variety of ecological conditions.…”

Assessing the potential impact of retaining native off‐site tree species in woodland restoration

“…One of the biggest concerns of applying the retention strategy without underplanting is the recruitment of new pine cohorts in a frequent fire regime. Indeed, loblolly and slash pine seedlings are often killed by recurrent fire potentially threatening the long‐term sustainability of woodland structure (Stewart et al 2005; Sharma et al 2020; Robertson et al 2021) (Figs. 4 & 5).…”

A cost assessment of intensive wild quail management on private lands in the southeastern United States

“…Pine savannas contain longleaf pine, loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata), and hardwood species, such as southern live oak (Quercus virginiana), shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), and sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua; Bailey, 1995). Native grass species in genera Andropogon, Aristida, Dichanthelium, Eragrostis, Paspalum, Sorghastrum, Saccharum, and Tridens, as well as native forbs in genera Centrosema, Chrysopsis, Desmodium, Helianthus, Hieracium, Lespedeza, Pityopsis, Stylosanthes, and Tephrosia are the dominant graminoids and forbs in this study region (Robertson et al, 2021).…”