| Prescribed
Burns: Ohio |
Randy
Brown |
| Oct
06, 2006 07:38 PDT |
Bob
& Lee,
The state forests of Ohio are just starting up prescribed
burning
programs for just this reason.
"Since most of the saplings in the study are Carya spp.,
Acer rubrum,
A. saccharum, Nyssa
sylvatica, and others, substantial mortality is likely to be
associated with fire alone.
Seedling effects: Seedling health will be negatively affected
regardless of species. However, we
hypothesize that the greater sprouting capability of oaks will
give
them a competitive advantage over
maples, yellow-poplar, blackgum and other less desirable
species,
depending on seed crop dynamics. "
(page 13)
http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/delaware/4153/ffs/ffs_new.html#Top
I got to poke around a couple of these burn sites last winter
and saw
lots of burned out black gum and maple. From a quick look
around, I
noticed most of the maples under 6" dia. at the butt got
severely
damaged or killed outright. Once they get bigger than this the
bark
get's thicker and platy and they tended to do better. Most of
the
overstory was oaks, which shrugged off the fire with just a bit
of
charred bark for their trouble. Oak seedlings/saplings were
notably
rare. I fact I saw hardly any. It
will be interesting to go back
and see if any new oak seedlings pop up this year.
In the flatter wet woods of NW Ohio where I grew up, oaks tend
to be
very common in the canopy, but with practically zero
regeneration in
the shade. Opening the canopy with selective logging doesn't
seem to
help either. Generally an understory of sugar maple is already
established, and only the basswood, ash, and elm are quick
enough to
get a foot in the door before the ground gets shaded over. Where
you
do see younger oaks is on the woodlot edges, and in the few
reverting
pastures that still remain. In fact Bob you might have notice
this
at Goll woods in between swatting the hords of mosquitos.
Here's a page full of presentation slides about fire affects you
and
others might find interesting (If a bit vague without the
speaker)
http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/delaware/4153/FireConfPdfs.html
- Randy
On Oct 5, 2006, at 9:02 AM, Lee E. Frelich wrote:
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Bob:
Lack of fire during 19th and 20th centuries (compared to
the period
before that) combined with leaving red maple behind in
logging
operations has led to a threshold whereby the species
has a massive
enough presence to take over the landscape.
Its a great thing for tourism during October.
Lee
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| Back
to Randy |
Robert
Leverett |
| Oct
11, 2006 08:20 PDT |
Randy,
I wish I had been able to pay more attention
to the regeneration in
Goll Woods. But swatting mosquitoes took priority. I'm convinced
that
the little blood suckers wanted every last drop of my O-positive
supply.
In may 2000, I attended an old-growth
conference at Sweetbrier
College in VA. One of the speakers was from Ohio. He was a
"restoration
ecologist" who was trying to get oak to return in areas
where oak had
been present historically, but was in low abundance due
presumably to
the absence of fire. He spoke of "trash species" that
he was trying to
control. One of the trash species he named was sugar maple. I
nearly
fainted. I would have never imagined that the glory of New
England
(state tree of Wisconsin, New York, Vermont, and West
Virginia)would
ever be labeled a trash species by anybody. Good thing the
conference
wasn't held in Vermont. He would have been lynched.
Nonetheless, his comment and dedication
to oak caused me to think
about the our mindset toward tree species that are currently in
our out
of favor. So the diminuitive little striped maple can hold its
head up
and proclaim itself to be in the solid company of its much
larger and
usually loved cousin when the pejorative titles are handed out.
Gotta get back to Goll Woods. Ohio has
got some fabulous places.
They may be small in acreage, but they definitely make a visual
impact.
Bob
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