Influence of fire history on high quality oak savannas

Influence of fire history on high quality oak savannas 

Knowing how the history of an oak savanna influences the stand structure may help inform restoration plans in the future. This study examined how the structure of high quality oak savanna sites may have been influenced by a history of fire, grazing, and single tree selection harvesting.

Implications for managers:

• Including punctuated longer fire free intervals in management plans can allow for recruitment in frequently burned sites  
• Combining prescribed fire with other disturbances (grazing, single tree harvest) can be used as part of land management plans in oak savannas to achieve uneven age structure on restoration sites
• Restoration plans should incorporate strategies for removing woody and herbaceous invasive species prior to implementing fire free intervals that allow for oak regeneration

For a summary of the study's results and implications for management, you can download a PDF version of the research brief here.

The original paper is:

Cody D. Considine, John W. Groninger, Charles M. Ruffner, Matthew D. Therrell, Sara G. Baer. 2013. Fire history and stand structure of high quality Black Oak (Quercus velutina) sand stands. Natural Areas Journal 33:10-20.