Starting Point Diagnosis = The Site is a Longleaf Stands With No Recent Fire History

Longleaf forests are more likely than other pine forests to accumulate high levels of forest floor litter. Longleaf needles are larger and more decay resistant than those of other pines and can build up litter depths of 12 inches or more. Fire must be reintroduced into these situations very cautiously. Fuel treatments such as raking around existing trees, wetting areas immediately around existing trees, and mowing or otherwise removing standing fuels might be necessary to avoid or reduce mortality of the overstory. Longleaf is fire-tolerant, not fire-proof.

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Feeder roots frequently grow into the duff layer in long unburned stands and can be severely damaged by even moderately hot surface fires. It is common for fuel to accumulate around the base of large longleaf in fire-excluded situations. Fires in these situations can smolder in these duff piles for long periods, damaging the cambium layer of the bole at a location where the insulating bark is often thin to begin with. High mortality levels in mature longleaf are not unusual when fire is incautiously applied in long unburned stands. If scale permits, extraordinary efforts are warranted to prevent this mortality. If it does not, the first fires should be conducted on cool or cold days, with moderate humidity and moderate to high fuel moisture levels. Wind speeds should be moderate (e.g., 5 - 7 mph) and steady. Strip headfires are recommended, with strips a chain or less apart. This allows the fires to move fairly rapidly through the fuel without building excessive intensity. As the fuel is gradually reduced with successive fires, more latitude with fire intensity and season is allowed. Eventually, as feeder roots are forced down into the mineral soil and the fuel load is reduced, growing season fires may be introduced into the fire regime to encourage the herbaceous understory typical of longleaf forests. When regenerating longleaf stands naturally, it is important to remember that longleaf seed should fall on mineral soil or very light litter to achieve best germination and survival and fires should be timed accordingly. It is equally important to remember that longleaf seedlings are extremely vulnerable to fire in the first year after germination and mortality is high on seedlings with root collar diameters (the diameter right at the groundline) of less than ¼ inch. Once seedlings start height growth, fires should be applied cautiously or withheld when a majority of the seedlings are between 6 inches to 4 feet in height, as this size class is vulnerable to fire, particularly when the terminal bud is in the "candle" stage.

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