01/30/2009
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–S&W–DEW [DRAFT]
Accreted Land Management Plan
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2253 [30 JANUARY 2009]
Town of Sullivan’s Island, SC
Fortunately, the high temperatures generated by the forest floor fuels cool rapidly from the
flame zone. Adequate wind can help dissipate the heat before the needles are scorched.
Southern pine will usually survive complete crown scorch as long as the terminal bud is not
damaged. A dense layer of needles surrounds the terminal bud to prevent its loss during fire.
Severe needle scorch, while not killing the tree, may retard growth for a year or more and can
make it more susceptible to drought and beetle attack.
Resource managers can use the kill and scorch qualities of fire to achieve a variety of results.
Understory vegetation can be kept low with frequent fires, and some species can be removed
from the stand by burning during the growing season. Mast-producing species can be main-
tained close to the ground where they are more available to wildlife. Longleaf pine seedlings
are often stimulated with fire to grow from the grass stage into saplings. Invasive non-native
species are often fire-intolerant and can be controlled effectively and inexpensively with
prescribed burns. In addition, many rare and endangered species of plants are fire-dependent
for a portion of their reproductive cycle. These species can be reintroduced into an area and
maintained with the correct timing and frequency of fire. Prescribed burning is also a very
effective practice used in marsh and moist-soil management. Prescribed burning accom-
plishes several objectives (Whitman and Meredith 1987), including:
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Maintaining successional stages so that desirable annuals are more abundant than
herbaceous perennials and woody species.
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Removing matted vegetation produced in previous growing seasons and releasing
nutrients, thereby encouraging the germination of valued food plants.
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Increasing seed availability in dense vegetation.
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Facilitating and improving the effectiveness of mechanical manipulations.
Prescribed fire can also be used to discourage weeds or invasive plants from taking over, by
killing off their early growth and giving native plants a chance to compete. Cattails occasion-
ally spread aggressively and can completely choke a wetland. A winter or early spring burn
following a drawdown can reduce cattail cover in a pond, temporarily creating an open-water
area. However, by the end of summer the cattails will have returned unless the burned area
can be flooded with 3-4 ft of water during spring and early summer.