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USDA Forest Service
Daniel Boone
National Forest
1700 Bypass Road
Winchester, KY 40391

Phone: 859-745-3100
FAX: 859-744-1568

Research

Morehead:

Large-scale study - Managers responsible for planning prescribed fire on the Cumberland Ranger District of the Daniel Boone National Forest have incorporated the experimental design requirements into their plans for fire management operations.

Three study areas identified for large-scale burning have were established. Three treatment sites exist within each study area: one site that is maintained as an unburned control, and two treatment sites with differing fire frequencies, defined as “frequent” and “infrequent.” The “infrequent” treatment sites will be burned approximately once every three years, starting in 2003. These burning frequencies have been chosen to coincide with the burning regime used by the landscape-scale burning experiments conducted by Sutherland et al. (http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/delaware/4153/4153.html) in order to support the development of a broader understanding of the role of fire in promoting oak regeneration in the region.

However, we expect to make long-term decisions about subsequent burning based on seedling/sapling response and conditions for burning in each year, using an adaptive management approach.

Schedule for pre-treatment establishment of study sites and measurements, and burning regime planned for “frequent” and “infrequent” burn sites. Additional burning beyond that shown in this table will be decided in response to findings.

The responses of interest in this large-scale study within the timeframe of this proposal are:

1. Effects of burn treatments on stand structure and light regime.

2. Response of existing seedlings/saplings to light regime, measured on individual stems across the range of site quality, fire treatments, and fire effects.

3. Recruitment and dynamics of new seedlings measured across site quality, fire treatments and fire effects.

4. Consumption of fine and woody fuel measured across site quality, fire treatments and fire effects.

5. Effects of burn treatment in the germination and growth of oak seedlings following masting events.

Stanton:

Ongoing seedling population study

We have an ongoing large, long-term seedling population study in place on the Cumberland Ranger District. With funds from the JFSP we are measuring the survival, growth, and canopy openness above 720 seedlings of chestnut oak, scarlet oak and red maple, found within 6 treatment areas as described above. In tandem with permanent vegetation plots in which we monitor tree seedling composition and overstory vegetation (funded by US Forest Service Cost-share Agreement with DBNF), this study will help to answer the question of whether repeated burning on xeric oak sites promotes oak seedling establishment and growth. Preliminary data support our hypothesis that repeated burns (but not single burns) increase the canopy gap fraction and specific leaf mass, which we expect will result in increased growth of seedlings growing in microsites with greater photosynthetically active radiation.

Burning regime schedule at Klaber and Whittleton ridges in the Cumberland Ranger District

Last Updated: February 1, 2010