Reptile assemblage response to restoration of fire‐suppressed longleaf pine sandhills

• DOI: 10.1890/12-0198.1
• Publication Date: 2012-07-03T16:13:51Z
• Authors: David A. Steen; Lora L. Smith; L. M. Conner; Andrea R. Litt; Louis Provencher; J. Kevin Hiers; Scott Pokswinski; Craig Guyer
• Keywords: Prescribed burn; Felling

Measuring the effects of ecological restoration on wildlife assemblages requires study broad temporal and spatial scales. Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forests are imperiled due to fire suppression subsequent invasion by hardwood trees. We employed a landscape-scale, randomized-block design identify how reptile initially responded treatments including removal trees via mechanical methods (felling girdling), application herbicides, or prescribed burning alone. Then, we examined after all sites experienced more than decade at two- thee-year return intervals. Data were collected concurrently reference chosen represent target conditions for restoration. Reptile changed most rapidly in response burning, but sites, generally indistinguishable end study. Thus, suggest that longleaf over long time periods is an effective strategy restoring condition. Application herbicides provided no apparent benefit reptiles beyond what was achieved