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As part of the National Fire and Fire Surrogate (NFFS) Study, prescribed burning, thinning, and a combination of burning and thinning were conducted in loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) and shortleaf pine ( P. echinata Mill.) communities in the Piedmont of South Carolina to test the effectiveness of these treatments for fuel reduction. Treatment implementation resulted in an overall reduction of overstory basal area, with the largest reduction occurring in the thin-plus-burn treatment. Stem densities decreased by 6332 stems ha -1 in the burn-only treatment, 3330 stems ha -1 in the thin-only treatment, and 5288 stems ha -1 for the thin-plus-burn treatment. Percent cover of understory vegetation differed significantly between burned plots (burn-only and thin-plus-burn) and unburned plots (thin-only and control). Nonmetric multidimensional scaling indicated three distinct vegetative groups. Identification of distinctive communities created by fuel-reduction treatments will help explain changes that may occur in other components of the NFFS Study, such as fuels, fire behavior, and wildlife habitat.
Cataloging Information
- community ecology
- cover
- Dendroctonus frontalis
- disturbance
- FFS - Fire and Fire Surrogate Study
- fire hazard reduction
- fire intensity
- fire management
- forbs
- forest management
- fuel treatments
- grasses
- overstory
- Piedmont
- pine forests
- Pinus
- Pinus echinata
- Pinus taeda
- plant communities
- population density
- shortleaf pine
- shrubs
- South Carolina
- thinning
- understory vegetation
- vegetation
- vines
- wildlife
- wildlife habitat management
This bibliographic record was either created or modified by Tall Timbers and is provided without charge to promote research and education in Fire Ecology. The E.V. Komarek Fire Ecology Database is the intellectual property of Tall Timbers.