« "Starved for fire, Wisconsin's pine barrens disappear" »

Newly-published research from the northern border of the region highlights the importance of fire -- or, the multi-decade absence of fire -- in shaping natural communities in the Upper Midwest.

In the study by UW-Madison botany graduate student Daijing Li and botany Professor Donald Waller, Li revisited sites that were studied by ecologists during the 1950s and classified as pine barrens. In Tuesday's Science News article Li emphasized, "We're talking about a dramatic change... It's probably better to say these sites used to be pine barrens. These sites are so similar with the closed-canopy pine forests around them that these pine barrens may be gone."

The Wisconsin Fire Needs Assessment completed in 2014 found that watersheds including pine and oak barrens in central Wisconsin were among the highest statewide priorities for management for prescribed fire.

Research in nearby oak barrens and savannas in central and west-central Wisconsin may provide guidance for managers seeking to restore pine barrens. Three recent research briefs summarize outcomes of several short-term research projects and emphasize implications for management:

"Oak barrens management and understory plant recovery."

"Comparison of restoration techniques in a Midwest oak barren."

"Can oak savanna restorations for other species benefit bird communities?"

Other resources for pine barrens managers can be found via the Lake States Fire Science Consortium and the North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange.