Advertisement

Fire-Maintained Pine Savannas and Woodlands of the Southeastern United States Coastal Plain

  • Robert K. Peet
  • William J. Platt
  • Jennifer K. Costanza
Chapter

Abstract

Descriptions by early naturalists provide glimpses of presettlement southeastern coastal plain landscapes. Means (1996) quoted Bartram (1791): “This plain is mostly … the great long-leaved pine (P. palustris Linn.), the earth covered with grass, interspersed with an infinite variety of herbaceous plants, and embellished with extensive savannas, always green, sparkling with ponds of water…. We left the magnificent savanna …, passing through a level, open, airy pine forest, the stately trees scatteringly planted by nature, arising straight and erect from the green carpet, embellished with various grasses and flowering plants, and gradually ascending the sand hills … ”

This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

References

  1. Andela, N., D. C. Morton, L. Giglio, Y. Chen, R. G. van der Werf, P. S. Kasibhatla, R. S. DeFries, et al. 2017. “A human-driven decline in global burned areas” Science356: 1356–1362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Archibald, S., C. E. R. Lehmann, J. L. Gomez-Dans, and R. A. Bradstock. 2013. “Defining pyromes and global syndromes of fire regimes” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America110: 6442–6447.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Bartram, W. 1791. Travels through North & South Carolina, Georgia, East & West Florida. Philadelphia, PA: James and Johnson.Google Scholar
  4. Beckage, B., W. J. Platt, and L. Gross. 2009. “Vegetation, fire and feedbacks: A disturbance-mediated model of savannas” The American Naturalist174: 805–818.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  5. Carr, S. C., K. M. Robertson, W. J. Platt, and R. K. Peet. 2009. “A model of geographic, environmental and regional variation in vegetation composition of pyrogenic pinelands of Florida” Journal of Biogeography36: 1600–1612.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Clarke, P. J., M. J. Lawes, J. J. Midgley, B. B. Lamont, F. Ojeda, G. E. Burrows, N. J. Enright, et al. 2013. “Resprouting as a key functional trait: how buds, protection and resources drive persistence after fire” New Phytologist197: 19–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Dell, J. E., L. A. Richards, J. J. O’Brien, E. L. Loudermilk, A. T. Hudak, S. M. Pokswinski, B. C. Bright, et al. 2017. “Overstory-derived surface fuels mediate plant species diversity in frequently burned longleaf pine forests.” Ecosphere8(10): e01964. doi: 10.1002/ecs2.1964.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. Ellair, D. P., and W. J. Platt. 2013. “Fuel composition influences fire characteristics and understory hardwoods in pine savannas” Journal of Ecology101: 192–201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Fill, J. M., S. M. Welch, J. L. Waldron, and T. A. Mousseau. 2012. “The reproductive response of an endemic bunchgrass indicates historical timing of a keystone process.” Ecosphere3, art61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES12-00044.1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Fill, J. M., W. J. Platt, S. M. Welch, J. L. Waldron, and T. A. Mousseau. 2015. “Updating models for restoration and management of fiery ecosystems” Forest Ecology and Management356: 54–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. Franklin, S., D. Faber-Langendoen, M. Jennings, T. Keeler-Wolf, O. Loucks, A. McKerrow, R. K. Peet, et al. 2012. “Building the United States National Vegetation Classification” Annali di Botanica2: 1–9.Google Scholar
  12. Frost, C. C. 1993. “Four centuries of changing landscape patterns in the longleaf pine ecosystem” Proceedings Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference18: 17–44.Google Scholar
  13. Frost, C. C. 2006. “History and future of the longleaf pine ecosystem.” In The Longleaf Pine Ecosystem: Ecology, Silviculture, and Restoration, edited by S. Jose, E. J. Jokela, and D. L. Miller, 9–42. New York: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Gilliam, F. S., and W. J. Platt. 1999. “Effects of long-term fire exclusion on tree species composition and stand structure in an old-growth longleaf pine forest” Plant Ecology140: 15–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. Glitzenstein, J. S., W. J. Platt, and D. R. Streng. 1995. “Effects of fire regime and habitat on tree dynamics in north Florida longleaf pine savannas” Ecological Monographs65: 441–476.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Grace, S. L., and W. J. Platt. 1995. “Effects of adult tree density and fire on the demography of pre-grass stage juvenile longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.)” Journal of Ecology95: 75–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. Grady, J. M., and W. A. Hoffmann. 2012. “Caught in a fire trap: recurring fire creates stable size equilibria in woody resprouters” Ecology93: 2052–2060.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Guyette, R. P., M. C. Stambaugh, D. C. Dey, and R. Muzika. 2012. “Predicting fire frequency with chemistry and climate” Ecosystems15: 322–335.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. Hermann, S. M. 1993. “Small-scale disturbances in longleaf pine forests.” Proceedings of the Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference18: 263–274.Google Scholar
  20. Hiers, J. K., J. R. Walters, R. J. Mitchell, J. M. Varner, L. M. Conner, L. A. Blanc, and J. Stowe. 2014. “Ecological value of retaining pyrophytic oaks in longleaf pine ecosystems” Journal of Wildlife Management78: 383–393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Hoctor, T. S., L. D. Harris, R. F. Noss, and K. A. Whitney. 2006. “Spatial ecology and restoration of the longleaf pine evosystem.” In The Longleaf Pine Ecosystem: Ecology, Silviculture, and Restoration, edited by S. Jose, E. J. Jokela, and D.L. Miller, 337-402. New York: Springer-Verlag.Google Scholar
  22. Hopper, S. D. 2009. “OCBIL theory: towards an integrated understanding of the evolution, ecology and conservation of biodiversity on old, climatically buffered, infertile landscapes” Plant and Soil322: 49–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Hopper, S. D., F. A. O. Silveira, and P. L. Fiedler. 2016. “Biodiversity hotspots and Ocbil theory” Plant and Soil403: 167–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  24. Johnson, E. D., T. Spector, J. K. Hiers, D. Pearson, J. M. Varner, and J. Bente. 2018. “Defining old-growth stand characteristics in fragmented natural landscapes: a case study of old-growth pine in Florida (USA) state parks” Natural Areas Journal38: 88–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  25. Kane, J. M., J. M. Varner, and J. K. Hiers. 2008. “The burning characteristics in southeastern oaks: discriminating fire facilitators from fire impeders” Forest Ecology and Management256: 2039–2045.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  26. Keeley, J. E., J. G. Pausas, P. W. Rundel, W. J. Bond, and R. A. Bradstock. 2011. “Fire as an evolutionary pressure shaping plant traits” Trends in Plant Science16: 406–411.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. Lamont, B. B., N. J. Enright, and T. He. 2011. “Fitness and evolution of resprouters in relation to fire” Plant Ecology212: 1945–1957.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Loudermilk, E. L., J. K. Hiers, S. Pokswinski, J. J. O’Brien, A. Barnett, and R. J. Mitchell. 2016. “The path back: oaks (Quercus spp.) facilitate longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) seedling establishment in xeric sites.” Ecosphere7: e01361. doi: 10.1002/ecs2.1361.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  29. Means, D. B. 1996. “Longleaf Pine Forest, Going, Going, …” In Eastern Old-Growth Forests: Prospects for Rediscovery and Recovery, edited by M. B. Davis, 210–229. Washington, DC: Island Press.Google Scholar
  30. Mucina, L., and G. W. Wardell-Johnson. 2011. “Landscape age and soil fertility, climatic stability, and fire: beyond the OCBIL framework” Plant and Soil341: 1–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  31. Mutch, R. W. 1970. “Wildland fires and ecosystems—A hypothesis.” Ecology51: 1046–1051.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  32. Noel, J. M., W. J. Platt, and E. B. Moser. 1998. “Structural characteristics of old- and second-growth stands of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) in the Gulf coastal region of the U.S.A” Conservation Biology12: 533–548.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  33. Noss, R. F., W. J. Platt, B. A. Sorrie, A. S. Weakley, D. B. Means, J. Costanza, and R. K. Peet. 2015. “How global biodiversity hotspots may go unrecognized: Lessons from the North American coastal plain” Diversity and Distributions21: 236–244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  34. O’Donnell, F. C., K. K. Caylor, A. Bhattachan, K. Dintwe, P. D’Odorico, and G. S. Okin. 2015. “A quantitative description of the interspecies diversity of belowground structure in savanna woody plants.” Ecosphere6(9): 154. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES14-00310.1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  35. Palmquist, K. A., R. K. Peet, and A. S. Weakley. 2014. “Changes in plant species richness following reduced fire frequency and drought in one of the most species-rich savannas in North America” Journal of Vegetation Science25: 1426–1437.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  36. Palmquist, K. A., R. K. Peet, and S. R. Mitchell. 2015. “Scale-dependent responses of longleaf pine vegetation to fire frequency and environmental context across two decades” Journal ofEcology103: 998–1008.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  37. Parr, C. L., C. E. R. Lehmann, W. J. Bond, W. A. Hoffmann, and A. N. Anderson. 2014. “Tropical grassy biomes: misunderstood, neglected, and under threat” Trends in Ecology and Evolution29: 205–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  38. Pausas, J. 2017. “Evolutionary fire ecology: lessons learned from pines.” Trends in Plant Science20: 318–324.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  39. Pausas, J. G., and E. Ribeiro. 2017. “Fire and plant diversity at the global scale.” Global Ecology and Biogeography26: 889–897.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  40. Peet, R. K. 2006. “Ecological Classification of Longleaf Pine Woodlands.” In The Longleaf Pine Ecosystem: Ecology, Silviculture, and Restoration, edited by S. Jose, E. J. Jokela, and D. L. Miller, 51–93. New York: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  41. Peet, R. K., K. A. Palmquist, and S. M. Tessel. 2014. “Herbaceous layer species richness of southeastern forests and woodlands: patterns and causes.” In The Herbaceous Layer in Forests of Eastern North America, 2nd edition, edited by F. S. Gilliam and M. R. Roberts, 255–276. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  42. Platt, W. J. 1999. Southeastern pine savannas. In The Savanna, Barren, and Rock Outcrop Communities of North America, edited by R. C. Anderson, J. S. Fralish, and J. Baskin, 23–51. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  43. Platt, W. J., R. F. Doren, and T. Armentano. 2000. “Effects of Hurricane Andrew on stands of slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa) in the everglades region of south Florida (USA)” Plant Ecology146: 43–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  44. Platt, W. J., D. P. Ellair, J. M. Huffman, S. E. Potts, and B. Beckage. 2016. “Pyrogenic fuels produced by savanna trees can engineer humid savannas” Ecological Monographs86: 352–372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  45. Platt, W. J., A. K. Entrup, E. K. Babl, C. Coryell-Turpin, V. Dao, J. A. Hebert, C. D. LaBarbera, et al. 2015. “Short-term effects of herbicides and a prescribed fire on restoration of a shrub-encroached pine savanna” Restoration Ecology23: 909–917.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  46. Platt, W. J., G. W. Evans, and M. M. Davis, 1988. “Effects of fire season on flowering of forbs and shrubs in longleaf pine forests” Oecologia76: 353–363.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  47. Platt, W. J., G. W. Evans, and S. L. Rathbun. 1988. “The population dynamics of a long-lived conifer (Pinus palustris)” American Naturalist131: 491–525.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  48. Platt, W. J., S. J. Orzell, and M. G. Slocum. 2015. “Seasonality of fire weather strongly influences fire regimes in south Florida savanna-grassland landscapes.” PLoS ONE10(1): e0116952.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  49. Platt, W. J., and S. L. Rathbun. 1993. “Dynamics of an old-growth longleaf pine population” Proceedings Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference18: 275–297.Google Scholar
  50. Ratnam J., W. J. Bond, R. J. Fensham, W. A. Hoffmann, S. Archibald, C. E. R. Lehmann, M. T. Anderson, et al. 2011. “When is a ‘forest’ a savanna, and why does it matter?” Global Ecology and Biogeography20: 653–660.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  51. Robertson, K. M., and T. E. Ostertag. 2007. “Effects of land use on fuel characteristics and fire behavior in pinelands of Southwest Georgia” Proceedings of the Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conference23: 181–191.Google Scholar
  52. Romps, D. M., J. T. Seeley, D. Vollaro, and J. Molinari. 2014. “Projected increase in lightning strikes in the United States due to global warming” Science346: 851–854.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  53. Rother, M.T., J.M Huffman, G.L Harley, W.J Platt, N. Jones, K.M. Robertson, and S.L. Orzell. 2018. Cambial phenology informs tree-ring analysis of fire seasonality in Coastal Plain pine savannas. Fire Ecology 14(1): 164–185. doi: 10.4996/fireecology.140116418CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  54. Schafer, J. L., and M. G. Just. 2014. “Size dependency of post-disturbance recovery of multi-stemmed resprouting trees.” PLoS ONE9: e105600.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  55. Schmitz, M., W. J. Platt, and J. DeCoster. 2002. “Substrate heterogeneity and numbers of plant species in Everglades savannas (Florida, USA)” Plant Ecology160: 137–148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  56. Simon, M. F., R. Grether, L. P. de Quelroz, C. Skema, R. T. Pennington, and C. E. Hughes. 2009. “Recent assembly of the Cerrado, a neotropical plant diversity hotspot, by in situ evolution of adaptations to fire” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences106: 20359–20364.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  57. Simpson, K. J., B. S. Ripley, P. Christin, C. M. Belcher, C. E. R. Lehmann, G. H. Thomas, C. P. Osborne, et al. 2016. “Determinants of flammability in savanna grass species” Journal of Ecology104: 138–148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  58. Slocum, M. G., B. Beckage, W. J. Platt, S. L. Orzell, and W. Taylor. 2010. “Effect of climate on wildfire size: A cross-scale analysis” Ecosystems13: 828–840.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  59. Slocum, M. G., W. J. Platt, and H. C. Cooley. 2003. “Effects of differences in prescribed fire regimes on patchiness and intensity of fires in subtropical savannas of Everglades National Park, Florida” Restoration Ecology11: 91–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  60. Sorrie, B. A., and A. S. Weakley. 2006. “Conservation of the endangered Pinus palustris ecosystem based on Coastal Plain cenrtes of plant endemism” Applied Vegetation Science9: 59–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  61. Terando, A., J. K. Costanza, C. Belyea, R. R. Dunn, A. J. McKerrow, and J. A. Collazo. 2014. “The southern megalopolis: using the past to predict the future of urban sprawl in the Southeast U.S.” PLoS ONE9: e102261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  62. USGCRP, 2017. D. J. Wuebbles, D. W. Fahey, K. A. Hibbard, D. J. Dokken, B. C. Stewart, and T. K. Maycock, eds. Climate Science Special Report: Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume I. Washington, DC: U.S. Global Change Research Program. doi: 10.7930/J0J964J6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  63. Varner, J. M., D. R. Gordon, F. E. Putz, and J. K. Hiers. 2005. “Restoring fire to long-unburned Pinus palustris ecosystems: novel fire effects and consequences for long-unburned ecosystems” Restoration Ecology13: 536–544.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  64. Varner, J. M. III, and J. S. Kush. 2004. “Remnant old-growth longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) savannas and forests of the southeastern USA: Status and threats” Natural Areas Journal24: 141–149.Google Scholar
  65. Veldman, J. W., E. Buisson, G. Durigan, G. W. Fernandes, S. Le Stradic, G. Mahy, D. Negreiros, et al. 2015. “Toward an old-growth concept for grasslands, savannas, and woodlands” Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment13: 154–162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  66. Wahlenberg, W. G. 1946. Longleaf Pine. Its Use, Ecology, Regeneration, Protection, Growth, and Management. Washington, DC: Charles Lathrop Pack Forestry Foundation.Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Andrew M. Barton and William S. Keeton 2018

Authors and Affiliations

  • Robert K. Peet
  • William J. Platt
  • Jennifer K. Costanza

There are no affiliations available

Personalised recommendations

Cite chapter

Buy options