Fire Ecology and Fire Management in the Southern Appalachians: Rationale for and Effects of Prescribed Fire
Schwartz NB. 2012. Fire Ecology and Fire Management in the Southern Appalachians: Rationale for and Effects of Prescribed Fire. University of North Carolina
ABSTRACT: Fire suppression in the Southern Appalachians has led to changes in forests dominated by yellow pine (Pinus subgenus pinus) and oak (Quercus) species. Recently, management agencies have begun to prescribe fire with the aim of restoring pre-suppression conditions. Here, I examine the use of prescribed fire in the Southern Appalachians from two perspectives. First, I review the values and goals that underlie fire management, how they apply in the Southern Appalachians, and what the implications of these are for fire management planning. Second, I use long-term monitoring data to examine how prescribed fire affects forest structure and composition in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and how these effects vary with environment and fire severity. I find that prescribed fire creates conditions conducive for pine reproduction and is particularly effective at high severity and at lower elevation sites where fire sensitive species are still confined to smaller size classes.
- Type
- Academic
- Authors
- Schwartz, Naomi
- Date of Issue
- 2012
- Publisher
- University of North Carolina
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- APHN, Appalachian Highlands Network, fire ecology, fire management, fire sensitive species, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, GRSM, oak, Pinus, prescribed fire, Quercus, SER, Southeast Region, thesis, vascular plants, yellow pine