Fire Regime of Coastal Marsh

Little documentation exists on the natural fire regime (pre-European settlement) in salt and brackish coastal marshes of the southeastern United States. There is also little information on whether native peoples deliberately burned these areas. If humans did not specifically ignite coastal marshes then it is likely that any fire that occurred prior to European settlement originated in the uplands. Native peoples could have set such fire in any month of a year however lightning-ignited fires are most likely to have occurred during the growing-season when dry thunderstorms and extreme temperatures are most common. Although not confirmed with data, it is probable that lightning ignited fires from nearby upland pine forests occasionally spread into adjoining coastal marsh areas.  In addition, there is a report of spontaneous combustion creating a fire in a Louisiana coastal marsh in early August during an extreme drought (Viosca 1931). The significance of fire in different marsh types is related to dominant plant species as well as geographic position and local weather conditions.

Recent Anthropogenic Use of Fire

There is a long history of human ignition of fire in southeastern coastal marshes (reviewed by Chabreck 1981).  Trappers who supplied local fur industries often used fire as a management tool and, on a limited scale, the practice continues today.  Stout (1984) reported that trappers use frequent fires to increase ease of access and because of their belief that burns increase food for preferred pelt mammals.  Animal trails may be more noticeable after a burn (Gosselink 1984) and that at one time, burning was widely used to attract geese (Zontek 1966).  However nutria and raccoon often move from burned areas because of lack of adequate cover (Gosselink 1984).  Hoffpauir (1968) suggested that burning in Spartina patens stands encourages desirable food for ducks and muskrats.  Potential wildlife food plants such as S. olneyi and annual grasses may be excluded from the thick layer of dead vegetation that can build up in unburned sites.  Chabreck (1972) also agrees that using fire to remove heavy thatch may be useful for encouraging germination and enhancing growth of annual plant species.  However, there has been an ongoing debate over the value of marsh burning to enhance resources for waterfowl, especially if there is no ability to periodically flood the site (Chabreck et al. 1989, Nyman and Chabreck 1995).

Agency use of prescribed fire in Southeastern coastal marshes began early in the middle of the 20th century.  During the winter of 1940-1941, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge conducted an experimental 120 acre burn in coastal marshland (Zontek 1966).  Prescribed fire has been accepted as a cost-effective way to reduce fuel as a means of minimizing wildfire occurrence and perhaps severity (Wade 1991).  Although research and observations demonstrated that growing-season fire triggered or enhanced reproduction of important plant species and, at the same time, promoted control of invasive hardwoods, broad-scale agency use of growing-season fire was not seen until the last 1-2 decades.