• Research

• Longleaf Pine Research
• Plant Ecology and Biodiversity
• Productivity and Nutrient Cycling
• Long-term Research on Productivity and Biodiver sity
• Ecosystem Restoration
• Conversion From Slash Pine Plantation to Longleaf Pine Ecosystem
• Herbicide as a Management Tool
• Groundcover Restoration
• Adaptive Management of Hardwood Depressions
• Site Classification and Restoration in the Chickasawhatchee Swamp
• Conservation Management
• Aquatics Research
• Wildlife Research
• Research Publications
• Graduate Projects

Conversion From Slash Pine Plantation to Longleaf Pine Ecosystem

Research Team: Dr. L. Katherine Kirkman (Associate Scientist), Dr. Robert J. Mitchell (Scientist), Kimberly L. Coffey (Research Technician III) and Stephen D. Pecot (Research Technician IV)

Once the dominant community of the Southeastern Coastal Plain, longleaf-wiregrass (Pinus palustris-Aristida stricta and A. beyrichiana) forests now occupy less than 3% of their original range. Much of this forest has been replaced with slash pine (Pinus elliottii) plantations for pulpwood and timber production. We are attempting to restore the longleaf-wiregrass system in two slash pine plantations: a 60-year old plantation on an upland site in southwest Georgia, and a 30-year old plantation in the flatwoods along the Gulf Coast of the Florida panhandle. At both sites, we are addressing the following issues: a) how canopy cover regulates shrub community structure in slash pine plantations; b) to what extent is shrub density problematic to reaching restoration goals; and c) if shrub density can be reduced while maintaining species richness. Use of mowers and herbicide are being examined as management options to reduce shrub density in varying canopy densities. The canopy treatments involve selective harvest of overstory slash pines to create gaps for the planting of longleaf pine and wiregrass seedlings. These selective harvests will be periodic, at an interval of approximately 10 years. The goal is to create an uneven-aged longleaf stand while maintaining the functions of the existing slash pine forest. The combinations of overstory and experimental understory treatments should identify the most effective methods for controlling woody vegetation and promoting diversity in the herbaceous community.

Additional Information:

Kirkman, L. K. and R. J. Mitchell. 2002. A Forest Gap Approach to Restoring Longleaf Pine-Wiregrass Ecosystems (Georgia and Florida). Ecological Restoration 20:50-51.

Funded by: The Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center and the US Fish and Wildlife Service