Berry College Longleaf Pine Project: Progress over the First Three Years

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Berry College Longleaf Pine Project Progress
over the First Three Years
Martin L. Cipollini, Ph.D.
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Early project development

• 1995 Roger Birkheads preliminary
  dendrochronology work (trees gt 200 years old)
• 1999 Plant Ecology class (initiated demographic
  study)
• 2001 SAVE club (response to SPB logging)
• 2002 management plan accepted by Berry College
  administration

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Why develop a management plan?

• Burning restricted on mountain due partly to
  concerns over erosion.
• Hardwood encroachment, high fuel buildup, and
  virtually no herbaceous community.
• Little longleaf recruitment since 1920s and
  1930s population was in decline.
• Mountain never plowed, so possible remnant
  mountain longleaf plant community exists
• Southern Pine Beetle (SPB) and wildfires are
  problems.
• Historical accounts suggest widespread longleaf
  community.

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Management plan components

• Planting containerized seedlings in SPB cuts
• Slowly restoring burning regime on 3-5 year
  frequency
• Controlling hardwoods via removal and
  herbiciding
• Establishing a local seed source via cone
  collection and a grafted seed orchard
• Research, education, and outreach

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Berry College Longleaf Management Area
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Internal and External Support

• Forestry and Land Resources
• Student Work program
• Volunteer Services
• Berry Longleaf Network
• Interagency Burn Team

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Management Planting

• 2001 SPB cut 18 acres
• 2003 SPB cuts 50 acres
• 2004 Core management area 2 acres
• 2005 Selective-cut 10 acres
• 2006-7 SPB cuts replant 60 acres

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Management Burning

• Interagency Burn Team (GFC, USFWS, USFS, GA-DNR,
  TNC)
• April 2003 8 acre fuel reduction burn.
• April 2004 80 acre fuel reduction burn. Killed
  some adult longleaf, necessitating a
  salvage/restoration cut in October 2005.
• Jan 2006 20-30 acre fuel reduction/site
  preparation burn in SAVE 2001 planting area (just
  completed)

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Management Student Burn Team

• Training ramped up to meet USFS guidelines.
• S130/S190 Fire Behavior and Safety
• Pack tests
• Southern Company grant will provide equipment

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Berry Longleaf Team in action, Jan. 27,
2006 Carolyn Kujala Lynde Mann George Frye Taryn
McDonald Angela Lottes
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Management Herbiciding

• Wide-space hack and squirt for hardwood control
  in core management area Arsenal AC
• Directed spray for hardwood and blackberry
  control in SPB cuts Garlon 3A
• Cut-stump in logged areas Garlon 4

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Management Seedlings

• Cones collected in October 2003 and 2004.
• 250 seedlings grown in 2004
• 2000 seedlings grown in 2005
• Plans for 3000-4000 per year

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Management Grafted seed orchard

• NC Piedmont rootstock planted spring 2003
  (courtesy Kirk Hinson, Southern Seed Company)
• Grafting trials initiated winter 2005 (with help
  from John Hendrickson, Temple-Inland)
• About 85 of field grafts successful

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Southern Company-NFWF Longleaf Legacy Grant

• Supports re-planting in 60 acres to bring
  densities of rocket stages to 200 per acre.
• Establishes a 220 acre carbon reserve.
• Establishes procedures for estimating carbon
  stocks.

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Student Research

• Plant/Forest Ecology classes 1999 - present.
  Population and community dynamics.
• Student workers 2002 - present fuel load
  analysis
• Bennett 2003-5 Effects of restoration burning
  on fine root regeneration and soil nutrient
  dynamics
• Gaskell and Worrell 2004 Use of herbicides
  and prescribed burning for hardwood control
• Knight and Worrell 2004 Dendrochronology of
  relict longleaf pines.
• Huber, Worrell, and Rogers 2005 Estimating
  total carbon reserves.
• Currie, Kush, Varner, Worrell, and Rogers
  2005 Herbaceous plant surveys.
• supported by Berry NSF-REU Program

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Public Education and Outreach

• Communications majors Public relations plan and
  public-friendly website.
• Numerous volunteer/learning experiences for
  grade- and secondary-school students, and for
  Berry College students.

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Acknowledgements

• Dr. Scott Colley (President of Berry College)
• Dr. D. Bruce Conn (Dean of MNS and Chair of ELM
  Committee)
• Dean Wilson and Frank George (Forestry and Land
  Resources)
• Jake Dirnberger, George Frye, Carolyn Kujala,
  Angela Lottes, Lynde Mann, Taryn McDonald, Larry
  Rogers, Chris Worrell (Berry Longleaf Team)
• George Gallagher (Animal Science)
• Andrea Jones (Horticultural Services)
• Members of the Berry Longleaf Network
• Members of the Interagency Burn Team
• Berry Volunteer Services and Freshman Service
  Day Program
• Physical Plant, Historic Berry, and Campus
  Security Departments
• National Science Foundation
• Southern Company-National Fish Wildlife
  Foundation
• Kathy Wilson and Nina Wheeler (MNS Secretaries)
• Eddie Elsberry (Science Building Manager)
• Donna Davin (Research and Sponsored Programs)
• Volunteers too numerous to mention individually
  Thanks!