PARENT SESSION
Poster Session # 7: Restoration, Resource Management, and Conservation.
Monday, August 4 Presentation from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. SITCC Exhibit Hall B.
Impacts of military training and land management on rare species in southeastern fall-line sandhills communities.
Sharitz, Rebecca1, Harper, Steven*,1, Imm, Donald2, Collins, Beverly1, Madden, Kathryn1, Tuberville, Tracey1, 1 Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, SC2 U.S. Forest Service, Savannah River Institute, New Ellenton, SC
ABSTRACT- In the southeastern U.S., the federal government has extensive land holdings near the fall line that occurs between the Piedmont and Coastal Plain. Sandhills found within this region, which are remnants of ancient coastal dunes, are nutrient-poor habitats on sandy, xeric soils. Extending from the Carolinas, through Georgia and into Alabama, fall-line sandhills support a unique flora and fauna, including a suite of rare plant and animal species. The Department of Defense must address simultaneously the habitat sensitivities of these species along with demands associated with military training and other land-use activities. This complex challenge requires the integration of diverse information with understanding of processes operating at multiple spatial and temporal scales. The goal of this collaborative research is to develop methods to evaluate effects of military training and land management activities on the sustainability of sandhills communities and associated threatened and endangered species. Forests on these military installations are typically managed to promote open pine woodlands as habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis), though it is not known whether these efforts are also beneficial, or possibly detrimental, to sandhill species. We have conducted GIS analysis and field sampling at Fort Benning, Fort Gordon, and the Savannah River Site (SRS) to delineate sandhills communities from adjacent forests. Results indicate that sandhills tree composition is dominated by four oak species, with canopy openness ranging from 20-39%. Soil characteristics include high sand content, low soil moisture, and low nutrients. Methods have been developed to determine the microhabitat requirements of rare plant species, and to experimentally re-introduce the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) at SRS. Future work will include extensive field surveys and experiments to quantify the impacts of forest management practices on sandhills communities across a broad array of military land-use conditions.
Key words: ecosystem management, community delineation, sandhills communities, land-use practices