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.

Short term effects of returning prescribed fire to oak woodland

This study evaluated the effects of two prescribed fires conducted on a site being restored to a white oak dominated woodland. Stand structure, understory species composition, light levels, and soil nutrients were compared between burned and unburned units within the Kelly Hertel Woods section of the Marengo Ridge Conservation Area in northeast Illinois.

Implications for Managers:

• Low intensity prescribed fire alone will not favor oak regeneration in restoration sites.
• Higher intensity prescribed fire or mechanical removal may be necessary to remove non-oak species.
• Protecting oak seedlings and saplings from mammalian herbivory may be necessary to promote survival into larger size classes.

 For a summary of the study's results and implications for management, you can view or download a PDF version of "Short term effects of returning prescribed fire to oak woodland."

This research brief for research managers summarizes the following peer-reviewed publication:

Stan, Amanda B., Lesley S. Rigg, and Linda S. Jones. 2006. Dynamics of a managed oak woodland in Northeastern Illinois. Natural Areas Journal 26(2):187-197.