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Prescribed fire and mechanical treatments were tested at the two hardwood sites of the National Fire and Fire Surrogate Study (southern and central Appalachian regions) for impacts to stand structure. After two fires and one mechanical treatment, no treatment or treatment combination restored stand structure to historical levels. Burning alone had little impact on overstory vegetation the first year after treatment but mortality continued for 4-5 years thus opening canopies. Thinning at the Ohio Hills site reduced stand basal area, but not to levels desired for restoration objectives. Chainsaw removal of the shrub layer at the southern Appalachian site reduced the midstory temporarily but promoted abundant regeneration. The combination of mechanical and burning treatments opened these dense forests the most, especially at the southern Appalachian site where hot fires killed overstory trees and promoted oak regeneration. Results from both study sites emphasize the rapid sprouting and growth of undesirable eastern species and the need for frequently-repeated treatments during the restoration phase.
Cataloging Information
- Acer saccharinum
- Appalachian Mountains
- central Appalachian plateau
- fire hazard reduction
- fire injuries (plants)
- fire intensity
- fire management
- forest management
- hardwood forest
- mechanical treatments
- mortality
- National Fire and Fire Surrogate Study
- National Fire Plan
- North Carolina
- Nyssa sylvatica
- Ohio
- overstory
- overstory mortality
- Pinus pungens
- Pinus rigida
- Pinus strobus
- Quercus alba
- Quercus coccinea
- Quercus prinus
- Quercus rubra
- Quercus velutina
- regeneration
- SFP - Southern Fire Portal
- shrubs
- site treatments
- southern Appalachian Mountains
- sprouting
- stand characteristics
- statistical analysis
- thinning
- trees
- vegetation
This bibliographic record was either created or modified by Tall Timbers and is provided without charge to promote research and education in Fire Ecology. The E.V. Komarek Fire Ecology Database is the intellectual property of Tall Timbers.