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Management
Lora Silvanima |
Prescribed burns are one of the chief management tools for this
area. Fire is crucial to maintain the longleaf pine/wiregrass ecosystem. Numerous protected
species, including the gopher tortoise and Sherman's fox
squirrel, make their homes in this
fire dependant habitat. Prescribed burns are used to
reduce fuel loads of pine needles and oak leaves, to return
valuable nutrients to the soils, and also to keep understory
hardwoods at bay. Curtailing understory and midstory hardwood
growth in longleaf pine habitat is crucial to maintaining the
open landscape that is necessary for the species that depend on
this natural community to thrive.
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