KUCHLER TYPE FIRE ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
KUCHLER TYPE: Southern floodplain forest



FUELS, FLAMMABILITY, AND FIRE OCCURRENCE : 
Typically, fires are infrequent in the mixed wetland hardwoods of the
Southeast [1].  In mixed hardwood swamps where hydroperiods last from 6
to 7 months, about two fires occur per century.  Where hydroperiods last
from 1 to 6 months, fires may only occur once per century.  Fires may be
less frequent on drier sites where rapid decomposition and occasional
floods retard fuel accumulation [3].  Where drainage of swamps
accelerates litter buildup and increases productivity, fires are usually
more severe [4].

Okefenokee Swamp studies indicate that fires follow drought, occurring
every 10 to 50 years [17].  Duever and others [2] hypothesized that
where cypress grows on peats in direct contact with the water table,
fire frequency and severity are low; where cypress grows on peats more
removed from the water table, fires are more severe and frequent.


FIRE EFFECTS ON SITE : 
Severe fires reduce the peat depth which can alter water availability,
hydroperiod, and nutrient availability [2].  For detailed information
about the effects of fire on soil chemical and physical properties refer
to Christensen [24].


FIRE EFFECTS ON VEGETATION : 
Fire kills many trees of the southern floodplain forest directly and
usually initiates rot in survivors [23].  The thin bark of water tupelo
and black tupelo offers little protection against fire [11,13].  The same
situation exists for most of the oaks found in these forests, including
laurel oak, overcup oak, swamp chestnut oak, water oak, and willow oak.
Bark thickness in relation to fire resistance has been recorded for some
southern wetland species.  They are (in order of decreasing resistance)
cypress, sweetbay, red maple, water oak, water tupelo, and sweetgum [9].
All of these species sprout following fire if roots are not killed
[14,16,19,20,21,22,25,26,27]. For more fire information on individual
species refer to species reports in the FEIS database.

Mature cypress survives surface fires better than its hardwood
associates.  Survival is better following summer and early fall fires
than following fires in other seasons.  Slow-burning peat fires, which
can ignite when moisture levels go below 30 percent, kill cypress roots
and prevent them from sprouting [8].

A December wildfire, following a dry autumn, severely burned two cypress
"dome" sites in Florida.  Fires smoldered for several days but did not
expose mineral soil on the two domes.  Species composition on both sites
before the fire was given as follows (hardwoods are black tupelo,
sweetgum, and sweetbay):

              Site One                 Site Two
Before: Cypress    52%      Before:  Cypress    44%
        Pines      27%               Pines      14%
        Hardwoods  21%               Hardwoods  42%

Percent decreases in species composition on both sites 1 year after
the fire were given as follows:

              Site One                 Site Two 
After:  Cypress    18%       After:  Cypress    22.5%
        Pines      96%               Pines      96%
        Hardwoods  98%               Hardwoods  83%

Pines were present because both sites had been drained for several
years.  A small percentage of cypress sprouted following this fire.  The
organic layer was thicker in the center, where more trees were killed
than around the edges of the swamp.  It appears that after long drought
periods fires will do greater damage in the center of swamps where the
organic layer is thicker.  Here tree roots are imbedded in peat and,
therefore, not protected from fire by mineral soil [4].


FIRE EFFECTS ON RESOURCE MANAGEMENT : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE USE CONSIDERATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Fires in logged cypress stands are more detrimental than fires in
unlogged stands.  Slash and dense regrowth provide enough fuels for
"hot" fires to consume seed sources and eliminate vegetative regrowth
[8].  Severe burning after logging or draining hardwood swamps may
destroy seeds and roots.  In south Florida this may lead to colonization
by willows followed by succession to mixed hardwoods [3].


REHABILITATION OF SITES FOLLOWING WILDFIRE : 
NO-ENTRY

Related categories for Kuchler Type: Southern floodplain forest