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Virtual Lunchbox Talk – Fire suppression and reintroduction in longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystems in Georgia
February 22 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
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with Lisa Giencke, Senior Research Associate in Plant Ecology, Jones Center at Ichauway
Date: Thursday, February 22, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET
Location: Virtual via Zoom Webinar
Fee: Free; preregistration required
Longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystems of the southeastern United States are adapted to frequent low-intensity fires, which maintain open, savanna-like
landscapes and foster high species richness within the ground cover plant community. Using data from long-term vegetation monitoring plots, we document that fire suppression results in a precipitous decline in species richness after only a couple of missed fire-return intervals. Following 15 years of fire suppression, we reintroduced fire to a subset of plots. Four fires and five years later, we are starting to see evidence of recovery toward pre-fire suppression conditions. Factors influencing recovery include site history, soil moisture, and plot spatial scale as well as midstory basal area, oak leaf litterfall, and ground cover biomass.
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Join us for more events as part of our 6-month long exhibition – Saving Our Savannas: Stories of the Longleaf Pine.
