Overview
Objectives
Demonstrates the effects of annual prescribed fire during the summer (approximately May-July), on the understory and regeneration of a flatwoods site.
The study area is adjacent to a flatwoods forests burned on 2- and 3-year intervals. It provides a striking visual contrast on how these burn intervals affect understory species composition.
Summary / Lessons Learned / Additional Thoughts
The study listed below used this site and focused on how annual prescribed burning affects understory species, primarily wiregrass.
Fill, J.M., and R.M. Crandall. 2024. High survival promotes bunchgrass persistence in old-growth savannas under different fire regimes. Ecosphere, DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.70092.
Long Description of Practice
Information not provided.
Results
Study Location / Installation Information
Lattitude
Longitude
Accessibility
Landowner HAS consented to property visits WITH PERMISSION
Who installed study
First name: Information not provided.
Last name: Information not provided.
Year of installation
1978
Does study have end date
NO
Planned or actual end date
Information not provided.
Contact for access
Is study monumented
YES
Photos
Stand Information Pretreatment
Land Use History
Likely selectively logged, turpentined, and grazed before University acquisition in 1936. When the study was established in 1978, it was initially burned in the dormant season until 2001, when it was transitioned into the current annual summer burn regime.
Stand Area
7 Acres
Stand Age Before Treatment
43 Years Old
Pretreatment Overstory Community Composition
Mixed longleaf (Pinus palustris) and slash (P. elliotti) pine.
Pretreatment Forest Metrics
Total Basal Area
93.82 Feet Squared per Acre
Species Composition
Information not provided.
Soil Series
Primarily Pomona sand, which is a deep, poorly drained sandy soil typical of flatwoods. 0 to 2 percent slopes. 25 to 89 centimeters to spodic horizon.
Silvicultural Application(s) Used in Study
What did the study investigate?
- Prescribed Fire
If silviculture included a harvest, what type(s)?
Information not provided.
Silvicultural Action(s) Timings and Types / Intensities
Information not provided.
Are there any local forest health threats to your target species?
No
Notes on silvicultural process(es) or data collection?
This stand has been the site of numerous individual studies that focus on different areas of the ecosystem, e.g. wiregrass populations, pollinator populations, saw palmetto fruiting, understory biodiversity, etc.
Plans for Future Treatments
UF plans to continue burning this stand on an annual basis in the growing season.
Plans for Future Measurements
Information not provided.
Costs and Economic Considerations
Not definitively tracked but the cost of prescribed fire at a site with low fuel loads and extensive and well-maintained fire breaks is generally lower than average for the region.