Rebecca J. Barlow

Restoring an Ecosystem with Silvopasture: A Short(leaf) Story

The majority of trees in the overstory were loblolly pine and sweetgum. There was not one longleaf that the students classified as being a dominant tree, where the top of the tree was receiving light from above and on the sides. Additionally, only 8% of the longleaf stems were rated as being healthy, most were classified as “spindly”. The ecology of longleaf pine indicates it evolved with a frequent fire return interval. Over most of its range, this interval may have been every 1–5 years (Chapman 1932). In the early 1900’s it was realized that fire was a necessary management technique for regeneration of longleaf pine. One of the major reasons for the decline in longleaf pine in the early 1900’s was fire suppression. Fire is critical in the early stages of longleaf ’s life (Chapman 1932). Gifford Pinchot (1899) wrote in a National Geographic article that longleaf pine was the rare exception among trees in that it could survive fire when it was less than 10 years old because of its grass-stage. Harper (1914) discussed oaks and other hardwoods taking over longleaf pine stands if fire was withheld for too long. Chapman (1926), working in Louisiana, found longleaf pine was failing to reproduce in areas protected from fire while the hardwoods had developed a dense understory. Failing to burn young longleaf stands goes against its nature. Heyward (1939) studied several stands across the South and provided information on the composition of burned and unburned longleaf forests. His research showed that hardwoods were a problem in longleaf pine stands that had experienced 10 or more years of fire suppression, especially if the hardwoods were larger than 5 cm dbh. It is rare to see failures reported in the literature. As the data gathered by the two courses showed, planting does not necessarily lead to the successful establishment of longleaf pine. The situation at MOT for longleaf pine is not unique; it is happening all across the southeastern US where longleaf is being planted. Longleaf pine stands need to be burned early in their life and often, approximately every 1–3 years. If young plantations of longleaf pine are not burned early, then the longleaf pine will be few and far between. Prescribed fire is a powerful tool available to resource and land managers but it must be used wisely, especially if you are managing for longleaf pine.

Ownership Changes and Harvesting Patterns Associated with the Forest Products Industry in West-Central Alabama from 1984 to 2014

Since the beginning of the 1980s, vertically integrated forest products companies have divested their forestland with much of the new ownership being real estate investment trusts (REITs) and timberland investment management organizations (TIMOs). These new landowners and their associated behavior of intensive timber management and higher and better use conversion has given rise to issues such as land-use change, fragmentation, and conservation. To better gauge harvesting patterns and ownership changes associated with the divestment of forestland by forest industry and the arrival of TIMOs and REITs on the forested landscape, eleven Landsat scenes were used to detect harvest activity within the Alabama counties of Bibb, Hale, Pickens, and Tuscaloosa from 1984 to 2014. Detected harvesting activity was paired with county parcel data and then classified based on landowner type: REITs, TIMOs, forest product industry, government, and non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners. Overall harvest trends showed a decrease in harvest rates from 1984 to 2005 with a slight increase in harvest rates after 2005. Per scene interval, acres harvested were highly variable for NIPF and relatively stable for forest industry during this time. Government ownership maintained relatively low and stable harvesting behavior throughout the study period. Acres harvested by REITs was relatively low. TIMOs showed an ever increasing rate of harvest within the study area until the last scene interval (2011-2014).

Targeting educational needs based on natural resource professionals’ familiarity, learning, and perceptions of silvopasture in the southeastern U.S.

Natural Resource Professionals (NRPs) are commonly regarded as the front lines of agriculture and forest management innovations, including silvopasture, an agroforestry practice. Yet, as silvopasture is a departure from more traditional land management practices, many NRPs may not have the expertise or training to help landowners make informed decisions. Targeted training of professionals may prove beneficial. Through a web survey of NRPs with cooperative extension, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), state forestry services, and private foresters in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida, we found that 64% of respondents are “somewhat” or “very familiar” with silvopasture and 54% have participated in a silvopasture field day. Rates of silvopasture training were highest for NRPs in the NRCS (78%) lowest for registered foresters (29%) (p < .001 Chi square = 55.367) and highest in Alabama (67%) and Mississippi (63%), and lowest in Georgia (41%) (p < .01). Perceptions of the physiographic suitability for silvopasture were lowest in Mississippi (p = .02; test statistic 14.632; DF = 3). The state forestry service NRPs and NRPs in Mississippi and Georgia present strong opportunities for education regarding silvopasture.

Restoration of Fire-Climax Species within a Rare Longleaf Pine Forest in the Piedmont of North Carolina

ABSTRACT: The US Fish and Wildlife Service has engaged conservation partners to assist in assessing current conditions and needs to retain and restore one of the Souths rarest pine ecosystems. The “wet-piedmont longleaf pine forest” is characterized by the presence of longleaf, loblolly, and pond pines in association with facultative-wetland species. This longleaf forest type is assigned the rarest ranking by NatureServe and the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program (G1S1). A remnant of that ecosystem type exists on the Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge in Wadesboro, North Carolina, where overstory species include longleaf and pond pine in association with the commonly represented loblolly pine. In addition, shortleaf pine and a variety of hardwood species are present. Initial restoration actions have focused on (1) reducing the understory presence of sweetgum; (2) introducing variable density retention of loblolly pine within a mixture of longleaf, pond, and shortleaf pines; and (3) application of prescribed fire. Stem-mapping of longleaf, pond, and shortleaf pine was accomplished over a 61-ha stand to evaluate natural-regeneration potential and assist in defining and advancing ecosystem restoration.