Ottmar, Roger D.; Vihnanek, Robert E.; Mathey, Jared W. 2003. Stereo photo series for quantifying natural fuels. Volume VIa: sand hill, sand pine scrub, and hardwoods with white pine types in the Southeast United States with supplemental sites for volume VI. PMS 838. Boise, ID: National Wildfire Coordinating Group, National Interagency Fire Center. 78 p.
A series of single and stereo photographs display a range of natural conditions and fuel loadings in sand hill, sand pine scrub, and hardwoods ecosystems in the southeastern United States. Each group of photos includes inventory information summarizing vegetation composition, structure and loading, woody material loading and density by size class, forest floor depth and loading, and various site characteristics. The natural fuels photo series is designed to help land managers appraise fuel and vegetation conditions in natural settings.
Keywords: Woody material, biomass, fuel loading, natural fuels, sand hill, sand pine scrub, hardwoods, longleaf pine, Pinus palustris, sand pine, Pinus clausa, Eastern white pine, Pinus strobus.
COOPERATORS
This publication was developed by the USDA Forest Service, Pacific
Northwest Research Station, Fire and Environmental Research Applications Team with funding
provided, in part, by the Joint Fire Science Program and the Department of Defense, Eglin
Airforce Base, Natural Resources Branch.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Special recognition is due Mike Kuypers, State of Florida, Division of Forestry;
Bob Panko and Nate Benson, USDI, Everglades National Park; James Thorsen and George
Custer, USDA Forest Service, Ocala National Forest; Keith Wooster, USDA Forest Service,
Chattahoochee National Forest; Marty Bentley, USDA Forest Service, Cherokee National
Forest; Kevin Hiers, James Furman, Kevin Mock, Al Sutsko, Billy Price, Pete Jerkins, and
Trisha Dahl, Eglin Air Force Base Natural Resource Branch. Andrew Bluhm, Corey Bolen,
Mathew Cerney, Timothy Davis, Jennifer McCormick, Jorge Morfin, Andres Najera, Diana
Olson, Crystal Raymond, Sonya Schaller, Clint Wright, and David Wright, USDA Forest
Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station preformed the field work and helped with the
analysis.
AUTHORS
Roger D. Ottmar is a research forester, Robert E. Vihnanek is a
supervisory forester, and Jared W. Mathey is a forester, USDA Forest Service,
Pacific Northwest Research Station, Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory, 400 North
34th Street, Suite 201, Seattle, Washington 98103.
PHOTOGRAPH AND INFORMATION ARRANGEMENT The photographs and accompanying data summaries are presented as single sites organized into three series. Each site contains the wide-angle (50 mm) photograph, general site, stand, and understory information, and summaries of overstory structure and composition, understory vegetation structure and composition, or forest floor depth loading and constancy, and dead and down woody material loading and density by size class.
Figure 1--Photo series sample area layout. Forty random azimuth
line transects (one at each point on the 30- and 150-foot arcs, and two at each point on
the 60-, 90-, and 120-foot arcs) and 10-15 clipped vegetation plots (two to three per arc)
were located within the sample area. Trees, shrubs and seedlings were inventoried on 12
systematically located sample plots.
SITE INFORMATION
The camera point of each site was located with a global positioning
system (GPS) receiver using the WGS-84 datum. Aspect and slope were measured with a
compass and clinometer, respectively. Community types were designated in the sand hill and
sand pine scrub series based on vegetation structure and composition, and successional
status (Kindell et al. 1997); "rough" includes understory vegetation and forest
floor material, and the age indicates the number of years since the last fire occurred at
the site. Society of American Foresters (SAF) cover type was assigned for each site based
on descriptions in Eyre (1980). Society of American Foresters cover type is defined by
current vegetation composition and locality or environmental factors.
| 1See below for a list of scientific and common species names used in this volume. |
FOREST FLOOR INFORMATION
Surface material and duff depth were calculated as the average of
measurements taken every five feet between the 30- and 150-foot arcs of the three center
transects for a total of 75 measurements (fig. 1). The depth of the different forest floor
components was calculated as an average of the depth only where that component was
encountered during sampling. Therefore, the depths reported for the different forest floor
components are not unit-wide averages and do not necessarily sum to total depth. Loading
was calculated from bulk density values derived from field measurements or through
collection of material in twelve 10.76 square foot plots.2
Constancy is an indicator of how consistently the various forest floor components occur in
the sample area and is expressed as a percentage of the total number of measurements. The
amount of exposed mineral soil at each site can be estimated by subtracting the constancy
of the total forest floor from 100 percent.
| 2Forest floor bulk density values used for each material type are listed in the "Notes to User." for each series. |
SAPLINGS AND TREES
Overstory trees and saplings (i.e., trees >4.5 feet tall) were sampled in twelve
0.005-acre circular plots located systematically throughout the sample area or within the
entire sample area for sites with low tree density (fig. 1). Tree measurement data were
summarized by diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) size class and by tree status (all, live,
or dead).3 Height to crown base was defined as the height of the
lowest, continuous live or dead branch material of the tree canopy, and height to live
crown was defined as the height of the lowest continuous live branches of the tree canopy.
Live crown mass values, where reported, (i.e., live branches and foliage) were calculated
from species and size-specific allometric equations (Clark et al. 1985, Edwards and McNab
1979, Taras and Phillips 1978).
| 3D.b.h. is measured 4.5 feet above the ground. |
UNDERSTORY VEGETATION
Understory species coverage was estimated by using line intercept transects (Canfield
1941). Where species-specific coverage is not reported, understory vegetation coverage was
estimated by lifeform category (shrub, forb, or graminoid) by using the line intercept
transects. Understory vegetation heights were measured at 25 points located systematically
throughout the sample area. Typically, understory vegetation biomass was determined by
sampling twelve square, clipped vegetation plots (10.76 square feet each) also located
systematically throughout the sample area (fig. 1). For the sand pine scrub and
supplemental longleaf pine series, understory vegetation biomass was clipped and collected
in six to eight plots (43.03 square feet each) and separated by lifeform (seedling,
sapling, or shrub), species, and size class. All live and dead understory vegetation
(regardless of size) within each square plot was clipped at ground level, separated, and
returned to the laboratory for oven drying. Understory vegetation and other collected
material were ovendried at a minimum of 158 °F for at least 48 hours before weighing and
determination of area loading.
WOODY MATERIAL
Measurement techniques used for inventorying dead and down woody material were patterned
after the planar intersect method outlined by Brown (1974) and described by Maxwell and
Ward (1980). Forty transects of random azimuth starting at 25 systematically located
points within the sample area were used to determine woody material loading and density
(fig. 1). Woody material data are reported by size classes that correspond to timelag fuel
classes used in fire behavior modeling (see, for example, Burgan and Rothermel 1984).4
Woody material in 10-hour, and 100-hour and larger size classes was tallied on transects
that were 10 feet and 30 feet long, respectively. Woody material loading in the 1-hour
size class (and the 10-hour and 100-hour size classes for several of the sites) was
determined by collecting, oven drying, and weighing all pieces in twelve 10.76-square-foot
sample plots. The decay class and the actual diameter at the point of intersection was
measured for all pieces >3 inches in diameter. All woody material <3 inches in
diameter was considered sound. Woody material loading and woody material density were
calculated from relationships that use number of pieces intersected and transect length
(and wood specific gravity for loading), respectively, developed by Brown (1974) and
Safranyik and Linton (1987).
| 4>1-, 10-, 100- and 1000-hour timelag fuels are defined as woody material 0.25 inch, 0.26-1.0 inch, 1.1-3.0 inches, and >3.0 inches in diameter, respectively. |
SPECIES LIST
Scientific and common species names are from NRCS (2002); Pinus clausa (sand pine) taxonomy is from Ward (1963).
| SCIENTIFIC NAME | COMMON NAME | SCIENTIFIC NAME | COMMON NAME |
|
TREES Acer rubrum L. Amelanchier arborea (Michx. f.) Fern. Aralia spinosa L. Betula papyrifera Marsh. Carpinus caroliniana Walt. Carya alba (L.) Nutt. ex Ell. Carya glabra (P. Mill.) Cercis canadensis L. Cornus florida L. Diospyros virginiana L. Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. Halesia carolina L. Ilex opaca Ait. Liquidambar styraciflua L. Liriodendron tulipifera L. Magnolia spp. Magnolia grandiflora L. Magnolia virginiana L. Nyssa sylvatica Marsh. Oxydendrum arboreum (L.) DC. Persea spp. Persea borbonia (L.) Spreng. Persea humilis Nash Pinus clausa (Chapman ex Engelm.) Vasey ex Sarg. var. clausa Pinus clausa (Chapman ex Engelm.) Vasey ex Sarg. var. immuginata Ward Pinus echinata P. Mill. Pinus elliottii Engelm. Pinus palustris P. Mill. Pinus strobus L. Pinus virginiana P. Mill. Prunus serotina Ehrh. Quercus spp. Quercus alba L. Quercus chapmanii Sarg. Quercus coccinea Muenchh. Quercus geminata Small Quercus hemisphaerica Bartr. Ex Willd. Quercus incana Bartr. Quercus laevis Walt. Quercus margarettiae Ashe ex Small Quercus myrtifolia Willd. Quercus prinus L. Quercus rubra L. Quercus stellata Wangenh. Quercus velutina Lam. Rhus copallinum L. (Jacq.) DC. Robinia pseudoacacia L. Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr. Viburnum prunifolium L. SHRUBS Asimina spp. Calycanthus floridus L. Ceratiola ericoides Michx. Chimaphila maculata (L.) Pursh Chimaphila umbellata (L.) W. Bart. Chrysoma pauciflosculosa (Michx.) Greene |
Red maple Common serviceberry Devil's walkingstick Paper birch American hornbeam Mockernut hickory Sweet Pignut hickory Eastern redbud Flowering dogwood Common persimmon American beech Carolina silverbell American holly Sweetgum Tuliptree Magnolia Southern magnolia Sweetbay Blackgum Sourwood Bay Redbay Silk bay Ocala sand pine Choctawhatchee sand pine Shortleaf pine Slash pine Longleaf pine Eastern white pine Virginia pine Black cherry Oak White oak Chapman oak Scarlet oak Sand live oak Darlington or laurel oak Bluejack oak Turkey oak Runner or sand post oak Myrtle oak Chestnut oak Northern red oak Post oak Black oak Winged sumac Black locust Sassafras Eastern hemlock Blackhaw Paw paw Eastern sweetshrub Sand heath Striped prince's pine Pipsissewa Woody goldenrod |
SHRUBS (CONTINUED) Crataegus spp. Euonymus spp. Garberia heterophylla (Bartr.) Merr. & F. Harper Hydrangea arborescens L. Ilex coriacea (Pursh) Chapman Ilex vomitoria Ait. Kalmia latifolia L. Leucothoe spp. Licania michauxii Prance Lyonia spp. Opuntia spp. Rhododendron spp. Rhododendron canescens (Michx.) Rhus glabra L. Rubus spp. Sabal etonia Swingle ex Nash Serenoa repens (Bartr.) Small Smilax spp. Smilax glauca Walt. Smilax rotundifolia L. Toxicodendron radicans (L.) Kuntze Vaccinium spp. Vaccinium arboreum Marsh. Vaccinium myrsinites Lam. Vaccinium pallidum Ait. Vaccinium stamineum L. Vitex spp. Vitis spp. Vitis rotundifolia Michx. Yucca spp. FORBS Asarum spp. Aster spp. Erigeron spp. Galax urceolata (Poir.) Hepatica nobilis Schreb. var. obtusa (Pursh) Steyermark Hieracium spp. Hypericum spp. Mentha spp. Mitchella repens L. Pityopsis spp. Polystichum acrostichoides (Michx.)Schott Potentilla spp. Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn Viola spp. GRAMINOIDS Andropogon virginicus L Aristida stricta Michx. Carex spp. Cladium spp. Juncus spp. Panicum spp. Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash Spartina spp. |
Hawthorn Spindletree Garberia Wild hydrangea Large gallberry Yaupon Mountain laurel Doghobble Gopher apple Staggerbush Prickly pear Rhododendron or azalea Sweet Mountain azalea Smooth sumac Blackberry Scrub palmetto Saw Palmetto Greenbrier Cat greenbrier Roundleaf greenbrier Eastern poison ivy Blueberry Farkleberry Shiny blueberry Blue Ridge blueberry Deerberry Chastetree Grape Muscadine (grape) Yucca Ginger Aster Fleabane Brummitt beetleweed Roundlobe hepatica Hawkweed St. Johnswort Mint Partridgeberry Silkgrass Christmas fern Cinquefoil Western brackenfern Violet Broomsedge bluestem Pineland threeawn Sedge Sawgrass Rush Panicgrass Little bluestem Cordgrass |
LITERATURE CITED
Brown, J.K. 1974. Handbook for inventorying downed woody material. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-16. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 24 p.
Burgan, R.E.; Rothermel, R.C. 1984. BEHAVE: fire behavior prediction and fuel modeling system--FUEL subsystem. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-167. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 126 p.
Canfield, R.H. 1941. Application of the line interception method in sampling range vegetation. Journal of Forestry. 39: 388-394.
Clark, A., III; Phillips, D.R.; Frederick, D.J. 1985. Weight, volume, and physical properties of major hardwood species in the Piedmont. Res. Pap. SE-255. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station. 78 p.
Edwards, B.M.; McNab, H.W. 1979. Biomass prediction for young southern pines. Journal of Forestry. 77: 291-292.
Eyre, F.H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [plus map].
Kindell, C.E.; Herring, B.J.; Nordman, C.; Jensen, J.; Schotz, A.R.; Chafin, L.G. 1997. Natural community survey of Eglin Air Force Base, 1993-1996: final report. Tallahassee, FL: Florida Natural Areas Inventory.
Maxwell, W.G.; Ward, F.R. 1980. Guidelines for developing or supplementing natural photo series. Res. Note PNW-358. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 16 p.
Natural Resources Conservation Service [NRCS]. 2002. The PLANTS database. Version 3.5. https://plants.usda.gov. (3 March 2003).
Safranyik, L.; Linton, D.A. 1987. Line intersect sampling for the density and bark area of logging residue susceptible to the spruce beetle, Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby). Inf. Rep. BC-X-295. Victoria, BC: Canadian Forestry Service, Pacific Forestry Centre. 10 p.
Taras, M.A.; Phillips, D.R. 1978. Aboveground biomass of slash pine in a natural sawtimber stand in southern Alabama. Res. Pap. SE-188. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station. 31 p.
Ward, D.B. 1963. Contributions to the flora of Florida-2, Pinus (Pinaceae). Castanea. 28: 1-10.