EEL FIRE MANAGEMENT MANUAL -- Prepared by The Nature Conservancy
  
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS
  
 
Natural Community- Oak Scrub (Stage 2)
  
     
 
  • Duff/Litter Layer: Oak and pine litter present but sparse.  Few patches of heavy pine litter present. Little to no duff present (Myers, 1990).
  • Soils: Very well drained, deep, white sands that are nutrient-poor and infertile (Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 1990; Myers, 1990).  Typical soil types include Archbold, Daytona, Duette, Hobe, Paola, Pomello, Resota, St. Lucie, Satellite, and Welaka (Soil Conservation Society of America, 1987).

FUEL MODEL: Fuel Model 6 is best fit for modeling fire behavior of this stage.  This community will burn only when the fuels are concentrated and dried out (Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 1990), but can burn as soon as 2 years have passed since the last fire occurred (Prusak, Personal Observation).  When the fuels do burn they burn in patches, leaving some areas unburned or lightly burned, while others burn intensely (Abrahamson et al., 1984).  Strong winds are necessary to help carry the fire through the shrub layer (Anderson, 1982).  This is a low intensity/low severity fuel type.

TYPICAL FIRE BEHAVIOR:  [Using FBPS: FM 6, FFM 8, LFM 100, MFW 5 - 10] (Refer to page 32)		  
   
 

DESIRED STAGE: This stage is the optimal stage at which oak scrub communities are to be maintained.

RESTORATION/MANAGEMENT PROTOCOL

  • Restoration Phase:
  • No restoration required.
  • Maintenance/Management Phase:
  1. The landscape surrounding oak scrub should be burned more frequently (about every 2-3 years) than oak scrub.  These fires should be allowed to burn into the scrub (Breininger et al., 1999).
  • Special Management Concerns:
  • Since this is the optimal stage of an oak scrub community, it should be maintained carefully.  Its regrowth must be monitored to avoid succession into another stage.
  • By not allowing the community to succeed into another stage, Scrub-jay habitat should remain optimal and allow for jay survival.

EEL SITES WHERE OAK SCRUB - STAGE 2 OCCURS
There is almost no location on EEL sanctuaries where optimal mature oak scrub exists, but there are a few locations that posses oak scrub communities that are similar to the optimal stage.
  • Jordan Scrub Sanctuary   -  Helen and Allen Cruickshank Sanctuary
  • Malabar Scrub Sanctuary   -  Few locations in Valkaria Scrub


  
 
General Fire Effects & Management Considerations

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