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Research Project Summary: Early postfire response of southern Appalachian Table Mountain-pitch pine stands to prescribed fires in North Carolina and Virginia

• RESEARCH PROJECT SUMMARY CITATION
• SPECIES INCLUDED IN THE SUMMARY
• STUDY LOCATION
• SITE DESCRIPTION
• PREFIRE PLANT COMMUNITY
• PLANT PHENOLOGY
• FIRE SEASON/SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION
• FIRE DESCRIPTION
• FIRE EFFECTS ON PLANT COMMUNITY
• FIRE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS
• REFERENCES

Turrill, Nicole Leigh. 1998. Using prescribed fire to regenerate Pinus echinata, P. pungens, P. rigida forests in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee. 148 p. Dissertation [4].

Welch, N. T.; Waldrop, T. A.; Buckner, E. R. 2000. Response of southern Appalachian table mountain pine (Pinus pungens) and pitch pine (Pinus rigida) stands to prescribed burning. Forest Ecology and Management. 136(1-3): 185-197 [5].

SPECIES INCLUDED IN THE SUMMARY:
Common names are used throughout this summary. For a complete list of the common and scientific names of species discussed in this summary, see the Appendix.

Historic fire regime characteristics for southern Appalachian Table Mountain-pitch pine communities are summarized below:

Both fall and spring prescription fires burned in pitch pine-dominated stands on the Warm Spring Ranger District. The fall fire was set using a ring firing technique in mid-October. Air temperature was 22 °C and relative humidity was 30% to 40% at the time of the fire. Flame lengths reached 1 to 3 m. The spring fire in mid-May was also ignited using the ring firing technique. Air temperature and relative humidity at the time of the fire were 26 °C and 40% to 60%, respectively. The fire produced flame lengths of 1 to 6 m. Char heights averaged 2 m for the spring and fall Warm Springs fires. Ring and head firing techniques were used to start the spring fire in Table Mountain pine-pitch pine stands on the Grandfather Ranger District. At the time of the fire, the air temperature was 27 °C, and relative humidity was 36% to 46%. Flame lengths ranged from 12 to 46 m, but char height averaged 4 m. Canopy scorch averaged 20%.

Pitch pine and scarlet oak were the canopy (stems ≥10 cm DBH) dominants before and after the fall fire on the Warm Springs Ranger District. Canopy basal area and density of black oak and blackjack oak were reduced by the fire. Most species in the midstory (stems 9.9-2.5 cm DBH) were top-killed by the fall fire. For most species of hardwoods, sprout (stems <2.5 cm DBH) density was much greater after the fall fire; the exception was blackjack oak, which decreased in this size class. Researchers noted sassafras, pitch pine, and black oak seedlings in the postfire surface vegetation. Pre- and postfire vegetation is summarized by size class below.

Pitch pine and scarlet oak dominated the overstory before the spring fire on the Warm Springs Ranger District. The spring fire top-killed chestnut oak, white oak, sassafras, and red maple and reduced the basal areas and densities of scarlet oak, black oak, and blackgum in the canopy. The midstory was dominated by blackjack oak and sassafras before the fire and by blackgum and chestnut oak after the fire. Blackjack oak, scarlet oak, black oak, red maple, and hickory in the midstory were top-killed. However, most of these species (all but blackjack oak and hickory) sprouted and were present with increased density in the sapling size class (stems <2.5 cm DBH). Sassafras sprouts dominated the understory after the fire, and huckleberry dominated both the pre- and postfire ground layer (<1 m tall).

Table Mountain pine and pitch pine dominated the pre- and postfire canopy following the spring fire on the Grandfather Ranger District. Basal areas of blackgum, Virginia pine, and red maple were not reduced by the fire. Basal areas and stem densities of all midstory species were reduced after the fire. American witchhazel, chestnut oak, scarlet oak, sassafras, and eastern white pine were killed or top-killed in the midstory. Blackgum dominated the midstory before and after the fire. Sourwood, red maple, blackgum, and mountain-laurel sprouts (<2.5 cm DBH) were common in the understory after fire. Mountain-laurel and blueberry dominated the postfire ground layer (<1 m tall).

The average basal area and density of the canopy was significantly (P<0.05) lower on all sites after burning. Fire reduced the density of stems less than 25 cm DBH on all sites, and very few trees with stems larger than 20 cm DBH were top-killed. Stem density in the understory, however, was significantly (P<0.05) greater after the fires. Ground layer cover was significantly (P<0.05) lower after the fire. Litter depths were significantly (P<0.05) lower on postfire than prefire sites, but duff depths were only significantly (P<0.05) lower than prefire levels on the fall burned site. There were 15,000 pitch pine seedlings/ha after the fall fire and 8,000 pitch pine seedlings/ha after the spring fire on the Grandfather Ranger District.

REFERENCES:

1. Hann, Wendel; Havlina, Doug; Shlisky, Ayn; [and others]. 2005. Interagency fire regime condition class guidebook. Version 1.2, [Online]. In: Interagency fire regime condition class website. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service; U.S. Department of the Interior; The Nature Conservancy; Systems for Environmental Management (Producer). Variously paginated [+ appendices]. Available: http://www.frcc.gov/docs/1.2.2.2/Complete_Guidebook_V1.2.pdf [2007, May 23]. [66734]

2. LANDFIRE Rapid Assessment. 2005. Reference condition modeling manual (Version 2.1), [Online]. In: LANDFIRE. Cooperative Agreement 04-CA-11132543-189. Boulder, CO: The Nature Conservancy; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service; U.S. Department of the Interior (Producers). 72 p. Available: http://www.landfire.gov/downloadfile.php?file=RA_Modeling_Manual_v2_1.pdf [2007, May 24]. [66741]

3. LANDFIRE Rapid Assessment. 2007. Rapid assessment reference condition models. In: LANDFIRE. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Lab; U.S. Geological Survey; The Nature Conservancy (Producers). Available: http://www.landfire.gov/models_EW.php [66533]

4. Turrill, Nicole Leigh. 1998. Using prescribed fire to regenerate Pinus echinata, P. pungens, P. rigida forests in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee. 148 p. Dissertation. [66835]

5. Welch, N. T.; Waldrop, T. A.; Buckner, E. R. 2000. Response of southern Appalachian table mountain pine (Pinus pungens) and pitch pine (Pinus rigida) stands to prescribed burning. Forest Ecology and Management. 136(1-3): 185-197. [65618]