PARENT SESSION
Contributed Oral Session 71: Terrestrial Plant Restoration; Fire Effects
Tuesday, August 9, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM, Meeting Room 524 B, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal
Experimental restoration of Florida sandhill using subcanopy felling and burning.
Rickey, Marcia*,1, Menges, Eric1, Weekley, Carl 1, 1 Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL, 33960
ABSTRACT- Our Saw and Burn project is an experimental Florida sandhill restoration comparing vegetation responses to three treatments: prescribed fire with felling of the oak subcanopy (saw & burn), prescribed fire alone (burn-only) and an untreated control. Our restoration goals are to retain longleaf pines but reduce hardwood subcanopy, decrease shrub cover, increase graminoid and herb cover, and provide habitat for rare sandhill endemics. We collected pre-treatment data in spring 2001, and post-treatment data annually in 2002-2004 on community structure and species composition. More longleaf pines were killed in the saw & burn (45%) than in the burn-only (24%). Chainsaw felling eliminated the subcanopy in the saw & burn treatment and subcanopy stems were lower post-treatment in the burn-only than in the control. Shrub height decreased significantly in the burn-only and saw & burn treatments in 2002, but increased in 2003 and 2004 to levels higher than pre-treatment. In 2002 and 2003, the burn-only and saw & burn treatments had significantly more woody stems <50cm in height than the control. There were no significant differences in herb stems or graminoid cover among treatments or over years. Lichens were eliminated in the saw & burn treatment and decreased in the burn-only. Land managers using chain saw felling in restoration may reduce longleaf pine mortality by raking around the tree base. Repeated burns combined with partial subcanopy felling may be necessary in the early stages of restoration of long-unburned sandhill to reduce the shrub density and increase graminoids and herbs.
Key words: Florida sandhill, subcanopy felling, prescribed fire, vegetation studies