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Fire—the missing ingredient for natural regeneration and management of southern pines (2005)

Masters, R., Hitch, K., Platt, W., & Cox, J. (2005). Fire—the missing ingredient for natural regeneration and management of southern pines. Paper presented at the Joint Conference, Society of American Foresters and Canadian Institute of Forestry. Retrieved from https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/bib93250/13.pdf

Literature Library

Pine-grassland woodlands were once a prevalent landscape
component across the southeastern U.S. Frequent fire maintained these habitats as
distinctly open, pine-dominated communities with a grass to shrub dominated understory.
Large-scale agriculture, extensive logging and fire suppression have led to the
replacement of pine-grassland woodlands with closed canopy pine-hardwood forest types
and short-rotation pine plantations throughout the southeastern United States. Historical
data and understanding gained from long-term small-scale experiments on fire frequency
and regeneration response can enhance development of management strategies that
emulate natural processes. Depending on when fire is introduced in regenerating stands,
structural development will proceed in a generally predictable manner as an uneven-aged
or even-aged structure. Longleaf (Pinus palustris) and shortleaf pine (P. echinata) are ecologically suited to regeneration with frequent fire. Such a strategy will avoid the
necessity of pre-commercial thinning. Fire frequency will influence hardwood presence
and pine (Pinus spp) species composition in a given stand. Implementing a restoration
and ecological forestry plan may require thinning to restructure the system in a manner
that is conducive to perpetuating it with fire, particularly where time is critical for
conserving fire-dependant wildlife and plant species. Thinning strategies also influence
regeneration and future stand structure. Uneven-aged management can be a costeffective
strategy for forest landowners with small tracts

https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/bib93250/13.pdf

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