1. Fire in Florida And Community Succession © Harold E. Malde

2. So,, What’s The Problem?? We Live in a Naturally Flammable State

4. Fire in Florida Climate, Geography and Culture Combined, to create a landscape that has been exposed to frequent fire

5. Fire in Florida

8. Kormorek 1964 Fire Data Lightening frequency Moisture # of Fires Size of Fires

10. Remove Fire - - - - - Plant Community Changes © The Nature Conservancy

11. Terms - Ecologial Succession Ecological Succession (Ecosystem Development): An orderly process of community development that involves changes in species structure and ecosystem processes through time. Results from modifications in the ecosystem physical environment It culminates in a stabilized ecosystem until a disturbance event occurs Sere: A sequence of communities that replace on another in a given region with specific abiotic factors Seral Stage: A transitory stage of a Sere

12. Clements Linear Succession Model

13. Terms - Ecologial Succession SUCCESSION Pioneer Stage: First community stage of a sere Climax Stage: Final community stage of a sere Mono-Climax: Succession sere with one “Climax Community” Poly- Climax: Succession sere with several potential “Climax Communities”

15. Succession after Fire

16. Common Fire-Prone/Dependent Community Types Habitat TypeBurn Interval Pine savannah1 – 4 years Sandhill or longleaf pine/turkey oak1 – 4 years Dry prairie1 – 3 years Scrubby flatwoods8 – 12 years Sand pine scrub15 – 30 years FW marsh and wet prairies1 – 5 years

17. Threats to Rare Species Florida scrub-jay © Donna Bollenbach © Florida Park Service © R. Roberts © T. Engstrom red-cockaded woodpecker grasshopper sparrow gopher tortoise pitcher plant © Tom Arrington

19. Florida’s Fire Regime Our native landscape is fire-prone and fire-dependent and characterized by having: 1) a high frequency of fires (the majority of which requires a 2- to 4-year interval); 2) a low to moderate fire intensity; 3) a predominance of terrestrial upland habitats adapted and dependent on fire for ecological health; and 4) a predominance of imperiled upland species that require frequent fire for optimum habitat condition.

20. Three Principal Environmental Elements Affecting Wildland Fire Behavior Weather Fuels Topography

24. Questions?

25. In National Forests, government policy has been to suppress forest fires whenever possible for the last century. Now some regions are starting to allow fires to burn. Based on what you know about succession, what impact do you think this might have in the area?