FUEL MODEL:

Either Fuel Model 4 or Fuel Model 7 could represent the fire behavior of this stage.  Model 4 is used for modeling intensity variables.  Model 7 is used for modeling rate of spread (Anderson, 1982).  These fuel type usually generates high intensity and high severity.

TYPICAL FIRE BEHAVIOR:

[Using FBPS: FM 4/7, FFM 8, LFM 100, MFW 5 - 10]
(Refer to page 32)

* Note:  Model 4 underestimates flank-fire flame length.  Local experience has shown that this flame-length is typically 1 the surface fuel height.

DESIRED STAGE:

Flatwoods - Stage 1 (grass dominated flatwoods).  Open yellow pine overstory.  Pyrrhic grasses dominate groundcover vegetation and palmetto is short in a vertical stem or short "gator-back" growth form less than 2 feet in height.  Typical flatwoods shrub species such as gallberry and Lyonia appear much less dense in terms of cover dominance.  Fuel Models 2 or 7.

RESTORATION/MANAGEMENT PROTOCOL

• Restoration Phase:
  • Selective thinning and "pocket cut" timber harvests to restore open character of yellow pine overstory.
  • Mechanical treatment of dense palmetto cover with tree-cutter or roller chopper type equipment to reduce palmetto over-dominance.  Care should be taken in treatment design to avoid any soil disturbance from roller chopper tine digging or "root tip up".
  • Post mechanical fuel reduction (dormant season) prescribed fires.  Care should be taken to choose weather/moisture parameters that create low fire intensities yielding moderate to mild fire severity.
  • Follow-up of exotics management should exist where exotics are in or surrounding the treatment area.
• Maintenance/Management Phase:
  • Growing season and mixed season series of  prescribed fires at a 1 to 4 year fire interval.
  • Follow-up of exotics management should exist where exotics are in or surrounding the treatment area.
• Special Management Concerns:
  • Soil disturbance as avenue for exotics.
  • Degradation of wiregrass complex from equipment trampling.
  • Hydrologic/topographic alteration such as ditching and fire-plow scars as impacts to fire process.
  • During restoration phase, excessive overstory pine mortality due to over-aggressive burning strategies or selection of fire behavior parameters that are too extreme.