The Role of Native American Fire Regimes in the Maintenance of Longleaf Pine Savanna PDF Download
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Author: Rachel A. Jones
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781321174458
Category : Fire ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 241
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Book Description
The longleaf pine savanna of the southeastern United States has been declining in areal extent during the past 300 years. Many factors contribute to this decline, including timber harvesting, land clearance and conversion. However, frequent surface fires are recognized as a primary factor in maintaining longleaf pine dominance. Missionary accounts from 16th century document that pre-Columbian populations in the southeast region used fire for agricultural and hunting purposes, suggesting that longleaf pine savannas were maintained by human-set fires. Regional Native American populations declined and societies collapsed during the 16th Century after introduction of diseases and military assaults by the deSoto Expedition and other European parties. If Native American cultural practices were responsible for maintaining the longleaf pine ecosystem, reduction of fires in the 16th and 17th Centuries should have led to invasion of longleaf pine stands by oaks and slash pines and conversion from savanna to forest. I am testing this hypothesis by examining paleoecological records from three lakes in the Florida longleaf pine ecosystem. Here I present results from paleoecological results obtained from three lake sediment cores spanning the last 1000 years, one in north-central Florida (Sheelar Lake), one in central Florida (Leda's Pond) and another in the Florida Peninsula (Silver Lake). Little paleoecological evidence is found supporting the hypothesis that cultural disruption from the deSoto Expedition resulted in vegetation composition or fire regime change. However, data do indicate large scale regional change during European settlement and modern land use (1760-present) can be found in the paleoecological record. Results of this project bring to light issues with long held assumptions (both methodological and philosophical) in the fields of paleoecology and anthropology and challenge researchers to reconsider conducting studies using only traditional approaches.
Author: Rachel A. Jones
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781321174458
Category : Fire ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 241
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Book Description
The longleaf pine savanna of the southeastern United States has been declining in areal extent during the past 300 years. Many factors contribute to this decline, including timber harvesting, land clearance and conversion. However, frequent surface fires are recognized as a primary factor in maintaining longleaf pine dominance. Missionary accounts from 16th century document that pre-Columbian populations in the southeast region used fire for agricultural and hunting purposes, suggesting that longleaf pine savannas were maintained by human-set fires. Regional Native American populations declined and societies collapsed during the 16th Century after introduction of diseases and military assaults by the deSoto Expedition and other European parties. If Native American cultural practices were responsible for maintaining the longleaf pine ecosystem, reduction of fires in the 16th and 17th Centuries should have led to invasion of longleaf pine stands by oaks and slash pines and conversion from savanna to forest. I am testing this hypothesis by examining paleoecological records from three lakes in the Florida longleaf pine ecosystem. Here I present results from paleoecological results obtained from three lake sediment cores spanning the last 1000 years, one in north-central Florida (Sheelar Lake), one in central Florida (Leda's Pond) and another in the Florida Peninsula (Silver Lake). Little paleoecological evidence is found supporting the hypothesis that cultural disruption from the deSoto Expedition resulted in vegetation composition or fire regime change. However, data do indicate large scale regional change during European settlement and modern land use (1760-present) can be found in the paleoecological record. Results of this project bring to light issues with long held assumptions (both methodological and philosophical) in the fields of paleoecology and anthropology and challenge researchers to reconsider conducting studies using only traditional approaches.
Author: L. Katherine Kirkman
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1351648187
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 539
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Book Description
Ecological Restoration and Management of Longleaf Pine Forests is a timely synthesis of the current understanding of the natural dynamics and processes in longleaf pine ecosystems. This book beautifully illustrates how incorporation of basic ecosystem knowledge and an understanding of socioeconomic realities shed new light on established paradigms and their application for restoration and management. Unique for its holistic ecological focus, rather than a more traditional silvicultural approach, the book highlights the importance of multi-faceted actions that robustly integrate forest and wildlife conservation at landscape scales, and merge ecological with socioeconomic objectives for effective conservation of the longleaf pine ecosystem.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Animal ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 268
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Book Description
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Ecosystem management
Languages : en
Pages : 102
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Book Description
This synthesis provides an ecological foundation for management of the diverse ecosystems and fire regimes of North America, based on scientific principles of fire interactions with vegetation, fuels, and biophysical processes. Although a large amount of scientific data on fire exists, most of those data have been collected at small spatial and temporal scales. Thus, it is challenging to develop consistent science-based plans for large spatial and temporal scales where most fire management and planning occur. Understanding the regional geographic context of fire regimes is critical for developing appropriate and sustainable management strategies and policy. The degree to which human intervention has modified fire frequency, intensity, and severity varies greatly among different ecosystems, and must be considered when planning to alter fuel loads or implement restorative treatments. Detailed discussion of six ecosystems--ponderosa pine forest (western North America), chaparral (California), boreal forest (Alaska and Canada), Great Basin sagebrush (intermountain West), pine and pine-hardwood forests (Southern Appalachian Mountains), and longleaf pine (Southeastern United States)-- illustrates the complexity of fire regimes and that fire management requires a clear regional focus that recognizes where conflicts might exist between fire hazard reduction and resource needs. In some systems, such as ponderosa pine, treatments are usually compatible with both fuel reduction and resource needs, whereas in others, such as chaparral, the potential exists for conflicts that need to be closely evaluated. Managing fire regimes in a changing climate and social environment requires a strong scientific basis for developing fire management and policy.
Author: J. E. Keeley
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1437926118
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 100
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Book Description
Provides an ecological foundation for mgmt. of the diverse ecosystems and fire regimes of N. America, based on scientific principles of fire interactions with vegetation, fuels, and biophysical processes. Detailed discussion of six ecosystems ¿ ponderosa pine forest (western N. America), chaparral (Calif.), boreal forest (Alaska and Canada), Great Basin sagebrush (inter-mountain West), pine and pine-hardwood forests (Southern Appalachian Mountains), and longleaf pine (Southeastern U.S.) ¿ illustrates the complexity of fire regimes and that fire mgmt. requires a clear regional focus that recognizes where conflicts might exist between fire hazard reduction and resource needs. Illustrations. This is a print on demand report.
Author: Thomas Vale
Publisher: Island Press
ISBN: 1597266027
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 335
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Book Description
For nearly two centuries, the creation myth for the United States imagined European settlers arriving on the shores of a vast, uncharted wilderness. Over the last two decades, however, a contrary vision has emerged, one which sees the country's roots not in a state of "pristine" nature but rather in a "human-modified landscape" over which native peoples exerted vast control. Fire, Native Peoples, and the Natural Landscape seeks a middle ground between those conflicting paradigms, offering a critical, research-based assessment of the role of Native Americans in modifying the landscapes of pre-European America. Contributors focus on the western United States and look at the question of fire regimes, the single human impact which could have altered the environment at a broad, landscape scale, and which could have been important in almost any part of the West. Each of the seven chapters is written by a different author about a different subregion of the West, evaluating the question of whether the fire regimes extant at the time of European contact were the product of natural factors or whether ignitions by Native Americans fundamentally changed those regimes. An introductory essay offers context for the regional chapters, and a concluding section compares results from the various regions and highlights patterns both common to the West as a whole and distinctive for various parts of the western states. The final section also relates the findings to policy questions concerning the management of natural areas, particularly on federal lands, and of the "naturalness" of the pre-European western landscape.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Post-fire forest management
Languages : en
Pages : 60
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Book Description
This synthesis provides an ecological foundation for management of the diverse ecosystems and fire regimes of North America, based on scientific principles of fire interactions with vegetation, fuels, and biophysical processes. Although a large amount of scientific data on fire exists, most of those data have been collected at small spatial and temporal scales. Thus, it is challenging to develop consistent science-based plans for large spatial and temporal scales where most fire management and planning occur. Understanding the regional geographic context of fire regimes is critical for developing appropriate and sustainable management strategies and policy. The degree to which human intervention has modified fire frequency, intensity, and severity varies greatly among different ecosystems, and must be considered when planning to alter fuel loads or implement restorative treatments. Detailed discussion of six ecosystems--ponderosa pine forest (western North America), chaparral (California), boreal forest (Alaska and Canada), Great Basin sagebrush (intermountain West), pine and pine-hardwood forests (Southern Appalachian Mountains), and longleaf pine (Southeastern United States)--illustrates the complexity of fire regimes and that fire management requires a clear regional focus that recognizes where conflicts might exist between fire hazard reduction and resource needs. In some systems, such as ponderosa pine, treatments are usually compatible with both fuel reduction and resource needs, whereas in others, such as chaparral, the potential exists for conflicts that need to be closely evaluated. Managing fire regimes in a changing climate and social environment requires a strong scientific basis for developing fire management and policy. --
Author: Shibu Jose
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0387296557
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 438
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Book Description
The longleaf pine ecosystem, once one of the most extensive ecosystems in North America, is now among the most threatened. Over the past few centuries, land clearing, logging, fire suppression, and the encroachment of more aggressive plants have led to an overwhelming decrease in the ecosystem’s size, to approximately 2.2% of its original coverage. Despite this devastation, the range of the longleaf still extends from Virginia to Texas. Through the combined efforts of organizations such as the USDA Forest Service, the Longleaf Alliance, and the Nature Conservancy, extensive programs to conserve, restore, and manage the ecosystem are currently underway. The longleaf pine ecosystem is valued not only for its aesthetic appeal, but also for its outstanding biodiversity, habitat value, and for the quality of the longleaf pine lumber. It has a natural resistance to fire and insects, and supports more than thirty threatened or endangered plant and animal species, including the red-cockaded woodpecker and the gopher tortoise. The Longleaf Pine Ecosystem unites a wealth of current information on the ecology, silviculture, and restoration of this ecosystem. The book also includes a discussion of the significant historical, social, and political aspects of ecosystem management, making it a valuable resource for students, land managers, ecologists, private landowners, government agencies, consultants, and the forest products industry. About the Editors: Dr. Shibu Jose is Associate Professor of Forest Ecology and Dr. Eric J. Jokela is Professor of Silviculture at the School of Forest Resources and Conservation at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Dr. Deborah L. Miller is Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida in Milton.
Author: Jeffrey Nathan Crawford
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic books
Languages : en
Pages : 306
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Book Description
Observers of human/landscape interactions generally agree that Native Americans influenced the landscape, but disagreement exists regarding the scale and degree of this disturbance. The differentiation of anthropogenic from climatic impacts on forest structure and composition is difficult using traditional paleoecological methodologies. The goal of this dissertation is to examine potential human impacts in the paleoecological record using an alternative methodology that incorporates elements of paleoecology, ethnographies, and regional archeology. This will provide a better understanding of how to identify potential anthropogenic signals in the late Holocene and improve upon existing paleoecological methodologies by allowing a more complete analysis of how human culture has impacted physical landscapes. Two lake basins in the Klamath Mountains of northwestern California provided study sites to use a cross-disciplinary methodology. There are three significant facets to this research. The first is a comparison of cross-dated fire scars to the sedimentary charcoal record of fire events. This was used to establish whether the fires detected in the paleoecological (charcoal) record represented local fire events that occurred within or near the lake basins. The results suggest that, while not a perfect match, fire events observed in the sedimentary charcoal record (as charcoal peaks) corresponded with between 50.0% (at Fish Lake) and 87.5% (at Lake Ogaromtoc) of known and inferred fire events detected as fire-scarred trees in the study basins. The second step in detecting anthropogenic landscape impacts in the paleoecological record was to identify anomalous periods of fire and vegetation dynamics not well explained by climate. Vegetation was reconstructed through the analysis of pollen. Paleofire dynamics were reconstructed through the analysis of sedimentary charcoal. Three anomalous periods were identified for further evaluation. In the final step of this research, these three anomalous periods were examined to see if cultural land-use patterns drawn from the regional archeological and anthropological record could better explain the observed dynamics. In all three instances, cultural changes in population or land use patterns better explained the observed dynamics than climatic interpretations, providing evidence of Native American impacts on the fire and vegetation dynamics of the two study sites in the late Holocene. This research provides subtle but clear evidence that human impacts are present at both study sites in modern and pre-historic times. Native American burning practices that have been banned since European settlement strongly influenced the forest structure and fire regimes of the Klamath Mountains. The cessation of Native American burning and modern fire suppression has led to a forest assemblage at each site that is unique in the late Holocene record. This research increases our understanding of how past forests in the Klamath Mountains responded to anthropogenic and climatic forces and encourages modern forest management practices to tailor restoration prescriptions to meet multiple human and ecosystem needs. This research also has broader implications for paleoecological methodologies. A single study cannot resolve the debate over the scale of Native American influences, but further replication of this cross-disciplinary methodology is encouraged at other sites throughout California. Further replication will build a broader dataset of sites, help to determine the scale of Native American impacts, and foster a greater understanding of the connections between the cultural and physical aspects of landscapes in the Klamath Mountains and beyond.
Author: Stephen F. Arno
Publisher: Island Press
ISBN: 1597266035
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 249
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Book Description
Shaped by fire for thousands of years, the forests of the western United States are as adapted to periodic fires as they are to the region's soils and climate. Our widespread practice of ignoring the vital role of fire is costly in both ecological and economic terms, with consequences including the decline of important fire-dependent tree and undergrowth species, increasing density and stagnation of forests, epidemics of insects and diseases, and the high potential for severe wildfires. Flames in Our Forest explains those problems and presents viable solutions to them. It explores the underlying historical and ecological reasons for the problems associated with our attempts to exclude fire and examines how some of the benefits of natural fire can be restored Chapters consider: the history of American perceptions and uses of fire in the forest how forest fires burn effects of fire on the soil, water, and air methods for uncovering the history and effects of past fires prescribed fire and fuel treatments for different zones in the landscape Flames in Our Forest presents a new picture of the role of fire in maintaining forests, describes the options available for restoring the historical effects of fires, and considers the implications of not doing so. It will help readers appreciate the importance of fire in forests and gives a nontechnical overview of the scientific knowledge and tools available for sustaining western forests by mimicking and restoring the effects of natural fire regimes.
