• 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 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:

Oak scrub - Stage 2 (short/optimal mix).  Open sand pine overstory (0 - 15% cover).  Several bare sandy patches with shrubs up to 4 feet tall, never taller than 5 feet.  Oaks dominate midstory with saw palmetto, Lyonia and rosemary.  Ground layer sparse to dense of gopher apple and lichens.  Oak and pine litter build-up in areas.  Fuel Model 6.

RESTORATION/MANAGEMENT PROTOCOL:

• Restoration Phase:
  • No restoration required.
• Maintenance/Management Phase:
  • 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).
  • Once the community reaches Stage 2 (optimal stage) conditions, oak scrub should be maintained at those conditions.
• Special Management Concerns:
  • No special concerns.

EEL SITES WHERE OAK SCRUB - STAGE 1 OCCURS

• Buck Lake
• Valkaria Scrub
• Micco Scrub Sanctuary
• Enchanted Forest