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By Josh Bailey
Prescribed Fire and the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem
As the state with the most lightning strikes per square kilometer in the US, fire has always been part of the natural environment in Florida (Outcalt, 2000; Vaisala, 2022). Charcoal analysis from ancient soils indicate Prehistoric peoples throughout the Southeastern United States used fire mainly for hunting megafauna, but also to encourage native pioneer species and maintain desired ecotones (Fowler & Konopik, 2007). These fires were localized and had only minor effects on biodiversity.
Indigenous peoples north of Lake Okeechobee used controlled
fires to clear gardens for maize cultivation, manage grassland, fireproof their
villages, and maintain the Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem (Fowler
& Konopik, 2007; Outcalt, 2000). Longleaf pine once dominated the landscape
throughout the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains and parts of the Piedmont
ecoregions in the Southeast. The Longleaf pine ecosystem consists of fire-adapted
pine savannahs, sandhills, and seasonally wet flatwoods, habitat to a multitude
of forbs and grasses and rare animal species (FDACS, n.d.; Outcalt, 2000). Before
indigenous fire management, wildfires started by lightning strikes that occurred
every 2-8 years preserved Longleaf pine communities in the Florida peninsula
(Outcalt, 2000). Early European settlers to the area continued some of the fire
management practices they learned from the Native peoples. However, these
practices changed as more Europeans settled the area and forced the removal of
Native Americans from much of Florida.
The timber and turpentine industries along with the fire
suppression movement of the early twentieth century dramatically changed the landscape
(Outcalt, 2000). Over time, old growth longleaf pine habitat was reduced to
about 3 percent of its original range (FDACS, n.d.; Outcalt, 2000). Many native
animal species endemic to Longleaf pine habitat are now threatened or
endangered, such as the Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Dryobates borealis), the
Gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), and the Eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon
couperi).
Following a particularly bad year of wildfires, prescribed fire was reintroduced in 1943 with the first official fire on federal property in the Osceola National Forest (Outcalt, 2000; Weir, 2009). Recognizing that fire is an inevitable and natural part of Florida’s ecosystem, prescribed burns are now conducted on more acreage in Florida than in any other state in the country (FDACS, n.d.; Statista, 2017). Using modern equipment, controlled burns in Florida today mimic the carefully managed, low-intensity fires first used by the indigenous communities that inhabited the state before.
ReferencesFlorida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. (n.d.). Prescribed fire in Florida. Retrieved June 1, 2022, from https://www.fdacs.gov/Forest-Wildfire/Wildland-Fire/Prescribed-Fire
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. (n.d.). The Florida longleaf pine ecosystem geodatabase. Retrieved June 1, 2022, from https://www.fdacs.gov/Forest-Wildfire/Our-Forests/The-Florida-Longleaf-Pine-Ecosystem-Geodatabase
Fowler, C. & Konopik, E. (2007). The history of fire in the southern United States. Human Ecology Review, 14(2). http://ww.w.humanecologyreview.org/pastissues/her142/fowlerandkonopik.pdf
Outcalt, K.W. (2000). The longleaf pine ecosystem of the south. Native Plants Journal, 1(1), 42-53. https://doi.org/10.3368/npj.1.1.42
Statista. (2017). Number of fires and acres burned due to U.S. prescribed fires in 2017, by state. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/204014/highest-number-of-prescribed-fires-in-the-us-by-states/
Vaisala. (2022). Total lightning statistics: 2021 Annual lightning report [Report]. National Lightning Detection Network. https://www.vaisala.com/sites/default/files/documents/WEA-MET-2021-Annual-Lightning-Report-B212465EN-A.pdf
Weir, J.R. (2009, October 26). Conducting prescribed fires: A comprehensive manual. Texas A&M University Press.