Fire in Midwestern ecosystems historically has provided many benefits, including promoting forest succession, maintaining wildlife habitat and reducing fuel loads. The Southeastern Illinois Prescribed Burn Association (SIPBA) is the only association of its kind in southern Illinois, designed to reintroduce prescribed fire to landowners in a practical context. The objectives of this research project were: 1) Interview members and crewpersons to collect data on the formation, maintenance, and future of SIPBA, 2) Outline the most common/salient issues driving landowners and stakeholders concerning the use of prescribed fire on their land in southern Illinois, and 3) Provide a conceptual model of the results to serve as a guide for future development of publicly conducted and implemented prescribed burning activities across southern Illinois and, ultimately, the Midwest. This study was implemented by semi-structured interviews of 28 key members of SIPBA. The responses from this population were collected and coded using NVivo 9 qualitative analysis software (NVivo 9 2011). Results indicate that challenges include stubborn remnants of the "Smokey Bear" attitude from the U.S. Forest Service anti-fire campaign, and that liability for an escaped wildfire is a reality for both the individual and for the association. In spite of these and other challenges identified by participants, landowners see SIPBA as a cost-effective solution to their land management needs. The results were interpreted as guidance for future dialogue between landowners and stakeholders and state and federal agencies in implementing prescribed burning programs. Implications include: "fire sells itself." Relatively little effort is needed to attract interest and recruit membership, and the benefits of a prescribed burn are easily evident. Alleviating concerns of the risks associated with fire is a primary objective for the organization, and there is a feeling of "safety in numbers" among membership. Finally, outside funding appears to be the limiting factor for both the capacity and potentially the longevity of the association, meaning that the development of a sustainable funding scheme could allow prescribed burn associations to remain in the Midwest. This case study of SIPBA membership is intended to facilitate cooperation between landowners and local burn associations, and also to serve as a model for the formation of future associations in similar areas of the Midwest.

Prescribed fire is a common tool used to restore native diversity, control invasive species, and reduce fuel loads. However, fire alone can be insufficient to restore pre-settlement vegetation; other factors such as differences in native and invasive species pools, deer herbivory, seed availability, and the spatial pattern of the fire can influence vegetation trajectories and restoration outcomes. Central Texas is a mosaic of savanna and mixed woodlands co-dominated by Quercus buckleyi (Texas red oak) and Juniperus ashei (Ashe juniper). In a savanna, I studied the joint effects of initial species composition (native-dominated or invasive-dominated) and disturbance (high-intensity fire, clipping, or control) on the ability of native species to establish, survive, and resist invasion by Bothriochloa ischaemum, an invasive C4 grass (ch. 1). Native savanna patches were resistant to invasion following high-intensity fire; fire can be used to selectively control B. ischaemum. In central Texas savanna and woodlands, under fire suppression and overabundant white-tailed deer, Quercus spp. are failing to regenerate, while J. ashei is increasing in abundance. To better understand vegetation trajectories following J. ashei removal in savanna, I studied the soil seedbank along a chronosequence of J. ashei invasion (ch. 5). In woodland, I studied the joint effects of prescribed fire and deer (ch. 2), clearing of J. ashei followed by high-intensity slash-pile burns (ch. 3), and wildfires (ch. 4) on the abundance and size of J. ashei and of hardwoods. Hardwoods resprouted vigorously after fire; J. ashei individuals of all sizes were killed by fire and slow to re-colonize. These management interventions failed to increase Q. buckleyi seedling abundance. It is likely that deer control is necessary to allow fire to have positive effects on the regeneration of oaks in this region, and wherever deer are over-abundant. However, deer can indirectly benefit hardwoods by reducing competition with palatable forbs (ch. 3). In general, these results show that fire suppression in central Texas oak-dominated woodlands is causing a shift not to more mesic-adapted species, as observed in the eastern US, but to J. ashei, which is at least as xeric-adapted as oak, a process I termed 'juniperization'. / text

There is a critical need for more studies to identify socio-ecological drivers that affect conservation and management of fire adapted ecosystems, yet studies that identify such variables and explore their interaction in specific systems are not only scarce but limited to only a few systems. Although information on the socio-ecological effects of prescribed fire application exists, there is no integrative framework that simultaneously considers the interplay between social and ecological factors affecting the use of prescribed fires. Fire suppression, together with other human and natural disturbances in grassland systems that are adapted to episodic fire, are the major factors that have contributed to the recruitment of woody species into grasslands worldwide. Even though the ecology of restoring these fire prone systems back to a grassland state is becoming clearer, the major hurdle to reintroducing historic fire at a landscape scale is its social acceptability. To address these deficiencies, I studied the socio-ecological factors influencing the use of prescribed fire in Texas, USA and Chihuahua, Mexico using a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches to examine how social and ecological factors affect ecosystem conservation and management of semi-arid grassland systems. For the Texas case study I used quantitative survey data analyzed using logistic regression models and structural equation models. For the Mexico case study I used qualitative interviews gathered using a snowball network sampling approach and coded them based on the analytic themes of land cover change, institutional failure, market drivers, and population dynamics. Results from the Texas case study suggest that risk taking orientation and especially, perceived support from others when implementing prescribed burns, play important roles in determining attitudes towards the use of high-intensity prescribed fires, which are sometimes needed to restore ecosystems. Results from the Texas case study also highlight how membership in Prescribed Burn Associations (PBAs) influence land manager decisions regarding the use of prescribed fire by reducing concerns over lack of skills, knowledge and resources. Results emphasize the potential for PBAs to reduce risk concerns regarding the application of prescribed fire and are relevant to management of brush encroached areas. Through PBAs, effective landscape-scale solutions to the brush encroachment problem can be achieved in Texas. Results from the Mexico case study show how fire stopped effectively being a driving factor on this system decades ago. Socio-political and ecological changes at the national, and international level produced changes in land use disrupting historical fire patterns and contributing to the ecological deterioration of the area. Droughts combined with poor management practices have depleted the fuel needed to carry a fire. Landowners also face safety and legal concerns but in most cases, even if a landowner decided to implement a prescribed burn, an ecological threshold has been crossed and current fine fuel loads (grass) are insufficient to carry a fire that is sufficiently intense to reduce brush cover and restore grassland and savanna ecosystems. Based on my findings I can conclude that ecologically sound adaptive management and social capital are fundamental components of the livelihoods of landowners and land managers in both case studies. Work and investment that is focused on strengthening this social capital will have the most profound effects in maintaining the integrity of grassland systems at a landscape scale.

The exotic Pinus plantations of southeast Queensland occupy approximately 130 000 ha and are prominent in catchments which drain to estuarine and marine waters that are economically, socially, and environmentally important. Recently, the deterioration of estuarine and marine water quality has raised concerns about the possible off-site impacts from the intensive management of the Pinus estate in southeast Queensland. Additionally, forest managers have raised questions over the effects of the currently adopted management practices on soil, water, and nutrient resources within plantations. A paucity of information regarding the impacts of these plantations in the humid sub-tropics of southeast Queensland initiated the research presented here. The objectives of this study were to: (i) determine the influence specific Pinus management techniques (harvesting, site-preparation, prescribed burning and forest roads) have on runoff generation; (ii) quantify fluxes of some nutrients (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and iron (Fe)) and suspended solids (SS) in runoff from these management treatments; and, (iii) assess the overall effectiveness of the currently adopted Best Management Practices (BMP's) in protecting on-site soil, water and nutrient resources, as well as protecting off-site waters from pollution. The study site was located in an intensively managed sub-catchment within the Beerburrum State Forest Pinus plantation on the coastal plain of the Pumicestone region, southeast Queensland. This study was established in October 2001 and consisted of a 141 ha catchment based investigation into water quality and hydrology, which received a 50 ha harvest treatment in February and March 2002. Water was monitored for two water years (October 2001 - September 2003), and incorporated site-preparation and the establishment of the subsequent rotation. The influence of a forest road stream crossing was also monitored in this component of the investigation. Two discrete forest road plots were monitored for the same period to measure the response of runoff, nutrient and sediment fluxes to different road surface materials (gravelled and ungravelled), road maintenance and traffic intensity. Rainfall simulation was used on small plots covering specific management treatments (clearfall harvest, cultivation, fertilised cultivation, prescribed fire and established trees) within the general plantation area to determine their influence on water, sediment and nutrient fluxes. The investigation in the catchment receiving inter-rotation management revealed that that there was very little difference in water quality indices up and downstream of the forest road stream crossing, which suggests that road borne runoff contributed only minor amounts of N, P, Fe and SS to the stream. Perched groundwater quality within the general plantation area was similar to that observed in the adjacent stream. Water quality monitoring within the Coochin-Mellum and Coonowrin Creek catchments showed that the mean annual concentrations of N and P in surface waters were highest from catchments hosting agriculture and residential areas, respectively. Mean annual DOC and Fe concentrations were highest from the catchment hosting native Wallum vegetation. The mean annual concentration of SS was highest from an unmanaged native forest catchment. The rainfall simulation on specific management treatments revealed that mean losses of N and P from unfertilised and unburnt treatments were comparable to loads reported from catchment scale studies in the Pinus plantations of south-east Queensland. Mean SS loads from all treatments were considerably higher than stream loads reported in the literature from catchment scale investigations, and suggest that the currently adopted mitigation practices between the general plantation area and streams are effective in promoting the deposition of entrained solids. The investigation into gravelled and ungravelled forest roads revealed that the mean runoff coefficient (runoff depth / rainfall depth) was consistently higher from the gravelled road plot with 0.57, as compared to the ungravelled road with 0.38. Total sediment loss over the two year period was greatest from the gravelled road plot. Suspended solids contributed 86% of the total sediment loss from the gravelled road and 72% from the ungravelled road over the two years. When road and drain maintenance (grading) was performed runoff and sediment loss was increased from both road types. It should be noted that the results presented herein were based on only two water years, and both years experienced below average rainfall. As such it is important that future research in a catchment prone to waterlogging be conducted over a longer term so as to increase the chance of quantifying water, nutrient and sediment fluxes in response to average and above average rainfall years. It is likely that in above average rainfall years the results for nutrient and sediment fluxes from the general plantation area would be significantly different as runoff would be more readily generated and sustained for longer periods. Overall, the research presented suggests that the management of an exotic Pinus plantation during the inter-rotation period results in relatively low fluxes of N, P, SS Fe and DOC in stream water and vindicates the use of the current practices in protecting on-site water, soil and nutrient resources.

No description available.

No description available.

The southern fox squirrel (Sciurus niger niger) has the northernmost part of its range in Virginia. For the past 100 years, southern fox squirrels have been declining due to habitat fragmentation, cover type conversion, and fire suppression. Decrease in growing season burns, hardwood encroachment and forest mesophication have transformed pine hardwood woodlands and pine (Pinus spp.) savanna habitats that southern fox squirrels prefer to hardwood dominant habitats that eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinenisis) prefer. These habitat changes have the potential to increase competition among the two species. The main objectives of my study were to investigate the general resource needs, occupancy, and home range of southern fox squirrels as well as the impact of resource partitioning and possible competition with eastern gray squirrels in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Virginia. I captured, radio collared and tracked four individuals at Big Woods Wildlife Management area and Piney Grove Complex using 95% and 50% kernel density estimate. I found an average male home range 173.49 ha (SE = 25.73, N = 2) and 40.62 ha (SE = 5.87, N = 2) and an average female home range of 28.51 ha (SE = 0.49, N = 2) and 4.71 ha (SE = 0.34, N = 2). I then identified the second and third order habitat selection in which my top models identified selection for pine savanna cover types (β = 2.095, SE = 0.158), increasing number of burns since 2019 (β =1.24, SE = 0.098), and decreased time between burns (β = -0.233, SE = 0.097). I used two-species occupancy modeling which reflected that gray squirrel occupancy increased with increasing time since last prescribed burn. However, southern fox squirrel occupancy, in the absence of gray squirrels, decreased with increasing time since last burn. My informed single-season occupancy model confirmed that southern fox squirrel occupancy decreased with time since the last burn. Presence in the absence of gray squirrels suggests that southern fox squirrels are selecting habitats on BWPGC with respect to both resource needs and competition with gray squirrel. Additionally, my level-of-effort (LOE) analysis indicated that 7 consecutive days of camera trapping without a southern fox squirrel detection would provide 90% confidence of the species' absence in areas burned 2 or more years prior to sampling in southeastern Virginia. Further management for southern fox squirrels in the future should focus on high rotational (short fire return interval) burns in areas of savanna as well as pine-hardwood mixed areas and hardwood-pine savanna ecotones. / Master of Science / The southern fox squirrel (Sciurus niger niger) is a subspecies of fox squirrel that ranges from southeastern Virginia down to northern Florida. All throughout its range in the Southeast, southern fox squirrel habitat has been fragmented from natural mixed pine-hardwood woodland forests to agriculture and high rotation pine plantations. Additionally, habitat has been further transformed by the lack of prescribed fire as a management tool on the landscape. This has in turn created sparse and fragmented local populations of southern fox squirrels as well as possible competition with gray squirrels. Further, the southern fox squirrel has not been studied in Virginia in over 20 years and management recommendations are lacking. I studied the resource needs, occupancy, home range and competition of southern fox squirrels in two physiographic regions of Virginia: the Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions. The Coastal Plain field site was Big Woods Wildlife Management Area and The Nature Conservancy's Piney Grove- both adjacent to each other. The Piedmont field site was Military Training Center Fort Barfoot. Here I utilized camera trapping, nest box monitoring, live trapping, and radio tracking to assess the resources they are utilizing in each area through home range analyses. I found that southern fox squirrels are selecting areas that have low fire return intervals and are located in pine savanna habitats. Therefore, fire should be prioritized as a management tool for southern fox squirrel habitat in pine savanna areas. I also used camera trapping data to identify the possible competition among gray and fox squirrels and fox squirrel detection through occupancy modeling. My findings reflected that there is apparent competition between southern fox squirrels and eastern gray squirrels and that southern fox squirrels are selecting heavily burned areas not only for their resource needs, but also because gray squirrels are absent. I concluded through my studies that the southern fox squirrel currently occupies southeastern Virginia, particularly in the Coastal Plain, however at low numbers. This could be due to suitable habitat on Big Woods/Piney Grove, but the surrounding habitat is of marginal quality. Further, in documenting southern fox squirrels, multi day camera surveys in mixed pine-hardwood woodland and pine savannas should be prioritized. Also, in aims to increase the presence of southern fox squirrels on the landscape, short rotation prescribed burning should be prioritized as well as additionally considering meditation among gray squirrel and fox squirrel competition.

<p>  </p> <p>Alterations to the historic fire regime have contributed to widespread regeneration failure in <em>Quercus</em> L. (oak) forests of the eastern United States. Composition has shifted from <em>Quercus</em> and other fire-adapted species to dominance by mesophytic species. While land managers often focus efforts on restoring <em>Quercus</em> regeneration, the herbaceous layer experiences reduced cover and diversity of herb and graminoid species resulting from the increased woody stem density in fire-suppressed forests. Declining abundance of <em>Quercus</em> species and diversity in the herbaceous layer reduce the overall habitat quality and ecosystem functions provided by the forest. A combination of overstory harvests and prescribed burning are often conducted to restore the plant community in <em>Quercus</em> forests affected by mesophication. Initiated in 2010, our study on the Hoosier National Forest in Indiana conducted shelterwood and midstory (mechanical, chemical, or none) harvests followed by prescribed burning on a less productive site, while leaving a more productive site unburned. Our objective was to evaluate the survival and competitive response of <em>Quercus</em> spp. within the regeneration layer and whether diversity and cover increased in the herbaceous layer following treatments. Using nested circular plots, we measured seedling survival and resprout response, in addition to regeneration density before and after treatments. We measured the percent cover of herbaceous-layer species within quadrats and calculated species richness, evenness, and diversity. Using multiple mixed-effects models, ANOVA, and NMDS ordination, we evaluated woody species regeneration and herbaceous-layer composition before and after treatments. Post-treatment, monitored <em>Quercus</em> spp. seedlings at the burned site displayed greater survival (> 94%) and resprouting (> 92% of monitored stems), which exceeded most competing species, including<em> Acer</em> spp. (~ 59% survival and resprouting) and <em>Fraxinus americana </em>(72% survival and resprouting). <em>Q. alba</em> seedling (< 3.8 cm DBH) densities doubled after burning; it was one of the most abundant species (9,864 stems ha-1) at the burned site. NMDS ordination indicated a clear shift in regeneration species composition with the burn driving a shift away from mesophytic species towards greater importance of <em>Quercus</em> species. Additionally, our burned site had significantly increased herbaceous-layer richness, Shannon diversity index, and total cover compared to pre-treatment. Percent cover increased across all plant functional groups within the herbaceous layer, with trees/shrubs exhibiting the greatest increase. Herbaceous-layer composition at the burned site significantly shifted toward greater importance of graminoids and herbs post-treatment. Post-treatment, the unburned site contained fewer, and less competitive, <em>Quercus</em> seedlings compared to non-<em>Quercus</em> competitors and displayed no significant compositional shifts in seedling species composition post-harvest. Our unburned site exhibited significant, but minor, increases in herbaceous-layer richness, evenness, diversity, and total cover. Herbaceous-layer composition at the unburned site was significantly different post-treatment, shifting towards greater importance of vines, trees/shrubs, and herbs. The more-productive unburned site would likely require multiple burns to produce adequate competitive <em>Quercus</em> seedlings to perpetuate dominance in the developing stand. Burning would also likely result in greater increases in herbaceous-layer diversity compared to harvesting alone. Conversely, the shelterwood, followed by a single burn, on the less productive site had a more substantial effect on the herbaceous layer, and likely produced an adequate density of <em>Quercus</em> reproduction to ensure future dominance by the genus.</p>