Using Prescribed Fire for Ecological Maintenance

Fire has played an essential role in maintaining many ecosystems in the South. From the Everglades in Florida to the Table Mountain pine forests of the Southern Appalachians, these communities require periodic fire to maintain their structure and diverse species assemblages. When fire was more frequent in the south, fire dependent or fire-associated species dominated the overstory and understory of many forest stands. In the absence of fire, forests have gradually changed composition to communities dominated by fire-intolerant species.

Prescribed fire is increasingly used as a tool for ecological restoration and maintenance. When considering using prescribed fire for these purposes, managers should first have an understanding of the historical fire regime and fire effects on plants and animals within the community of interest. This information is provided for over 25 forests and community-types in the southeastern U.S. in the section Fire Ecology. For each of these community types, there are unique issues and concerns managers should be aware of when conducting restoration and maintenance burns. The following sections discuss special issues in the implementation of prescribed burning in southeastern forests and community-types.

• Longleaf pine
• Oak savannas
• Pond cypress communities
• Xeric oak-pine
• Florida scrub
• Pond pine
• Shrub bogs
• Freshwater marshes
• Isolated herbaceous wetlands
• Pocosins
• Grassy and heath balds
• Table Mountain pine

For general information on how to conduct prescribed burns, see Planning and Conducting Prescribed Burns.