Rekindling the flame: reconstructing a fire history for Peters Mountain, Giles County, Virginia

摘要

Beginning in the late 1930s, fire exclusion has drastically altered the vegetationdynamics of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Extremely low fire frequency hasallowed for more shade-tolerant species to invade once predominantly open forests andhas made it almost impossible for fire-dependent species to establish on a site. One suchspecies is the endangered Peters Mountain mallow (Iliamna corei Sherff.) located onPeters Mountain in The Nature Conservancy s Narrows Preserve in Giles County,Virginia. This paper focuses on the fire history and stand dynamics of Peters Mountainand how fire exclusion has altered the forest composition. The historic fire frequencyand successional changes discovered here may provide an insight into managementstrategies for the mallow.Seventy-nine fire scarred cross-sections were taken and aged to determine firehistory dates and frequencies. Three 50x20 meter plots were set up on opposing aspects:northwest and southeast. The aspects were chosen at the direction of The NatureConservancy personnel. All trees within were identified, cored and aged to determinespecies composition and the establishment dates of all trees. Fire history analysis revealed a mean fire interval of 2.48 years, a Weibull median fire interval of 2.18 yearsand a 25 percent scarred class mean fire interval of 12.5 years. Stand dynamic resultsshow that Quercus montana has established on Peters Mountain prior to fire exclusionand remains the dominate species on the landscape. An increased number of fireintolerant species (including Acer rubrum, Sassfras albidum, Nyssa sylvatica) have beenestablishing on Peters Mountain during the decades of decreased fire frequency,suggesting a shift in forest composition. Frequent fires are suggested for mallowmanagement and oak forest maintenance.