Long-term site responses to season and interval of underburns on the Georgia Piedmont

Between 1987 and 1988, twenty-four approximately 2-acre plots were established in Jones County, Georgia on the Hitchiti Experimental Forest which is also known as the Brender Demonstration Forest. These plots have not burned since prior to 1939. Treatments were applied to track site changes over time from five short return interval underburn treatments. These treatments, replicated 4 times, were comprised of: biennial dormant season headfires, triennial dormant season headfires, triennial dormant season backfires, triennial growing season headfires, growing season headfires every 6 years, and unburned controls. Triennial dormant season treatments were eventually combined. Variables tracked over time include the impact of fire on overstory pine growth, midstory (in this study midstory includes understory plants > 4.5 feet high) structure and composition, seedling (in this study including all woody plants The purpose of this study was to quantify long-term site response to various short return interval dormant and growing season underburns on the lower Piedmont of Georgia. Objectives include: 1) establish a preburn data base from which the magnitude of any treatment-induced changes can be judged; 2) measure overstory pine growth response; 3) document pine seedling establishment and subsequent survival; and, 4) quantify changes in hardwood stature and composition, and 5) track changes in the forest floor.Original metadata date was 11/10/2016. Minor metadata updates on 12/16/2016.