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Study Number:
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4032 |
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Project Title:
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Post-burn study of
herbaceous understory plots at Jacobs Creek and Devils Den burn sites,
1990. |
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Investigator(s):
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Barry Clinton
E-Mail
| Tel.
828.524.2128 |
Biographical Sketch |
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Affiliated Institution(s): |
USDA Forest Service
Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory |
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Address: |
Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory
3160 Coweeta Lab Road
Otto, North Carolina 28763 USA |
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Study Category:
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Regional
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Project Type:
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Type 1 |
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Study Period:
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1990 |
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Notes:
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Funding Source(s):
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Man and
Biosphere Program, Southern Appalachian Forest Ecosystems Project,
US
Forest Service |
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Abstract:
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Recent declines in the
yellow pine component of pine-hardwood stands in the southern
Appalachian Mountains has prompted managers to increase the use of fire
as a silviculture tool. The fell and burn treatment is designed to
remove competing vegetation (hardwoods and mountain laurel [Kalmia
latifolia]) to ensure successful establishment of planted eastern white
pine (Pinus strobus). Two years after burning, mountain laurel had
accumulated more biomass than any other species and accounted for 43% of
total biomass in year 1 and 20% in year 2. By year 4, mountain laurel
ranked fifth (8.9% of total) in total biomass among hardwood species
behind Allegheny serviceberry (Amalanchier arborea, 14.3%), chestnut oak
(Quercus prinus, 13.7%), red maple (Acer rubrum, 12.4%), and scarlet oak
(Q. coccinea, 9.3%). Across sites, woody species richness ranged from
19-24 in year 1 and 14-22 in year 4. Species richness varied across
sites and years, and there were substantial changes in the distribution
of biomass among species. The introduction of fire allowed the once
dominant pitch pine (P. rigida) to successfully reestablish. On sites,
pine accounted for 25% of pretreatment stem density, but <1% and 2% in
the first and fourth growing seasons after burning, respectively.
However; in year 1, pines had increased in density 20-fold compared to
pretreatment levels, and by year 4, had maintained a 17-fold increase
compared to pretreatment. The use of fire in forest management has been
the subject of considerable criticism. In light of current public
concerns over the loss of critical or unique habitats, fire may gain
public support for use as a restoration tool. |
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Location(s), Described:
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Devils Den, Jacobs Branch
West, Jacobs Branch East. |
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Location(s),
Download GPS: |
ArcView Shape Files (shp.):
Decimal Degrees |
UTM, NAD83, Zone 17 |
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Location(s),
Online Map(s): |
Online Map |
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Methods/Experimental Design: |
Sampling plots were one
square meter each.
Site codes:
1 - Jacobs Branch West Site
2 - Jacobs Branch East Site
3 - Devils Den Site
Treatment codes:
1=burn site
2=control site
Alpha codes:
JWC - Jacobs Branch West, Control Site
JWB - Jacobs Branch West, Burn Site
JEC - Jacobs Branch East, Control Site
JEB - Jacobs Branch East, Burn Site
DDC - Devils Den, Control Site
DDB - Devils Den, Burn Site
Species Codes for Herbaceous Vegetation:
1 - Hypoxis hirsuta
3 - Chimaphila maculata
4 - Aster divaricatus
6 - Desmodium nudiflorum
7 - Smilax glauca
8 - Galax aphylla
9 - Polygonatum biflorum
10 - Pyrularia pubera
11 - Vaccinium vacillans
12 - Epigaea repens
13 - Platanthera ciliaris
15 - Baptisia tinctoria
18 - Pteridium aquilinum
20 - Solidago odora
21 - Potentilla canaden
22 - Lespedeza hirta
23 - Goodyera pubescens
24 - Vaccinium stamineum
25 - Viola pedata
26 - Rubus allegheniensis
28 - Uvularia pudica
30 - Iris verna
33 - Lysimachia quadrifolia
34 - Smilax rotundifolia
35 - Coreopsis major
37 - Viola cordata
38 - Osmunda cinnamomea
40 - Helianthus microcephalus
42 - Erigeron pulchellus
43 - Hieracium venosum
48 - Euphorbia corollata
49 - Lilium michauxii
54 - Gaylussacia ursina
55 - Prenanthes trifoliolata
60 - Aletris farinosa
62 - Vitis aestivalis
65 - Solidago sp.
66 - Androgogon scoparius
67 - Lespedeza repens
69 - Panicum dichotomum
70 - Solidago arguta
72 - Lactuca canadensis
73 - Helianthus atrorubens
74 - Clitoria mariana
77 - Panicum commutatum
78 - Aster undulatus
80 - Heterotheca mariana
84 - Aster paternus
85 - Hypericum stragalum
86 - Tephrosia virginiana
88 - Polygala curtissii
90 - Solidago erecta
92 - Lespedeza intermedia
99 - Erigeron canadensis
99 - Viola palmata
100 - Ceanothus americanus
101 - Aralia spinosa
106 - Scleria triglomerata
107 - Scleria pauciflora
108 - Carex sp.
109 - Sorghastrum nutans
110 - Panicum ovale
111 - Lyonia ligustrina
112 - Houstonia purpurea
113 - Gnaphalium obtusifolium
116 - Rubus occidentalis
117 - Solidago altissima
118 - Fragaria virginiana
119 - Aster solidagineus
122 - Schrankia microphylla
127 - Resin Weed
129 - Lechea spp.
130 - Orchis spectabilis
134 - Indian cucumber nut
142 - Gerardia
143 - Froelichia
155 - Aster sp.
160 - Andropogon virginicus
161 - Unknown |
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Sampling Frequency: |
Variable. |
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Data Columns:
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site - coded variable for
sampling site; codes described in Methods/Experimental Design
treatment - coded variable for treatment type; codes described in
Methods/Experimental Design
alpha - coded variable for sampling site and treatment type; codes
described in Methods/Experimental Design
plot - plot number
subplot - subplot number
species - coded variable for species name; codes described in
Methods/Experimental Design
percent_cover - percent of each plot covered by each herbaceous species
density - density of each herbaceous species per meter square plot
Missing Data Codes:
-9999
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Publications: |
Elliott, K.J., J.M.
Vose, B.D. Clinton. 2002.
Growth of eastern white pine (Pinus strobes
L.) related to forest floor consumption by prescribed fire in the
southern Appalachians. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry. 26(1):
18-25.
Clinton, B.D., J.M. Vose, W.T. Swank. 1996.
Shifts in aboveground and
forest floor carbon and nitrogen pools after felling and burning in the
southern Appalachians. Forest Science 42(4):431-441
Clinton, B.C., J.M. Vose. 2000.
Plant succession and community
restoration following felling and burning in the southern Appalachian
Mountains. Pages 22-29 in W. Keith Moser and Cynthia F. Moser (eds.).
Fire and Forest Ecology: innovative silviculture and vegetable
management. Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference Proceedings, No.21.
Tall Timbers Research Station, Talahassee, Florida, USA.
Vose. J.M., B.D. Clinton, W.T. Swank. 1993.
Fire, drought, and forest
management influences on pine/hardwood ecosystems in the southern
Appalachians. 12th Conference on Fire and Forest Meteorology, Oct.
26-28, Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA.
Vose, J.M., B.D. Clinton, W.T. Swank. 1993.
Site preparation burning to
restore pine-hardwood stands: aboveground biomass, forest floor mass,
nitrogen carbon pools. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 23:2255-2262. |
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Data Restrictions:
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Users must
adhere to the Coweeta LTER Data Policy. |
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Metadata:
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EML Format (XML Schema) |
Information about EML |
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Data Downloads:
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Microsoft® Excel (.xls)
Text Comma
Delimited (.csv)
DBase (.dbf) |