tour of the new jersey pinelands ppt day 2. answer question 1: based on what you know about...
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Tour of the New Jersey Pinelands PPT Day 2
Answer question 1:Based on what you know aboutsuccession in New Jersey at whichstage would you expect to findevergreen/coniferous trees?
The Pines, the Pines,
the Pines are on Fire!
What makes the Pinelands so fire prone?
Flat Topography
Fire has nothing to block its way on the flat land. It spreads very quickly.
PrevailingWesterly Winds
Winds that come from the west have traveled over land for many miles losing their moisture before reaching New Jersey.
DRY & SANDYSoil
The sandy soils drain moisture quickly. Fire is more likely to start in dry areas. This area was once part of the outer coastal plains which was once covered
by water.
Highly flammable plant communities
(Resinous Pitch Pine and Mountain Laurel)
Read on to find out more about the traits of pitch pines and what makes them so adapted to fire.
99% caused by humans1% caused by natural
causes (lightning)
The Pinelands is second inthe nation in fire proneness
only to the chaparral ofSouthern California
Answer question #3Since fires are frequent in the
Pinelands which stage of succession would you expect the forest to go
back to after a fire? Why?
Forest Structure inthe Pinelands
Understory
Shrub layer
Forest floor
Pitch Pine Canopy
Answer question #4Compare the structure of a
Pinelands forest to the structure of the forest at
Dallenbach’s.
Successionof the
Fittest!
Succession in a Mid Atlantic hardwood forest includes the
following steps:
1. Primary StageGrasses and Weeds
2. Middle of Secondary StageYoung Pines
4.Climax StageMature Oak and Beech
Pines fall to the forest floor
3. End of Secondary StageMature Pine with
Oak and Beech Understory
But…
We are talking about the Pinelands so…
A fire has raged through your mature
pine forest.
Do not pass into the climax stage.
Return to the secondary stage.
Do not collect $200.
Why don’t the Pinelands go back to primary stage after a fire?
Write your claim for question #5
Pitch Pines(the dominant
species)survive the fire
because…
Epicormic BranchingThis tree survives in near desert-like conditions by sending
huge taproots and lateral roots far into sandy soil.
a charred tree may send up basal sprouts from its roots. Pitch pines are also self-pruning, dropping their lower
branches as a way of keeping their feet out of a fire. Some pitch pines exhibit epicormic buds which
sprout from under the bark in the aftermath of passing brush fires.
Failing that,
Serotinous Cones(Sir Rotteness)
Pine cones that are tightly closed until heated by fire. Then they pop open like popcorn releasing the pine samaras.
Thick Bark
Acts like a shieldagainst fire.The plate-like bark of the pitchpine, full of insulating airpockets, allows the tree tosurvive fire as hot as 2,000degrees if the crown remainsintact.
ThickerBark
Serotinous
Cones
What are serotinous cones?
Serotinous cones are covered with a resin that must be melted for the cone to open and release seeds. When a fire moves through the forest, the cones open and the seeds are distributed by winds and gravity.
Fire creates its own wind tunnels that help to spread the fire and winds to spread the seeds within serotinous cones.
How does the presence of frequent fire affect those who live in the area?
What problems might homeowners and the local government face?
Answer questions 7-8. Support your claims.
National Fire Protection Association has declared Wildland-Urban interface fires to be the fastest growing source of property loss.
These are areas where homes are built against protected lands. Consider how close these homes are to forested areas that may go up in flames.
Here you can see just how close the fire can get!
What can be done to reduce the severity of fires?
Make a claim now (question 9)then add to your answer
as you read on.
Prescribed Burning
How fire managers protect the
people of thePinelands
Drip torches are used to start low intensity fires in areas that have been carefully chosen and prepared.
Fire breaks are used to prevent the fire from going further. Here the soil is exposed so that no plants are in the path of the fire to keep it from spreading.
Prescribed burning started in New Jersey in the 1930’s as away to reduce “fuel” of leaf litter and significantly lessen the risk of a catastrophic crown fire.
Today prescribed burning burns 20,000 acres per year and that number is increasing as the wildland-urban interface (places where homes and forest meet) continues to grow.
•Wind shifts can causeofficials to lose control
•Respiratory problems
•Smoke
Problems with Prescribed
Burning
Ariel view of burned forest in the Pinelands
The Garden State Parkway during a wildfire in the Pinelands.
Regrowth after a fire
Closure
What stage of succession are the Pine Barrens “stuck” in? Why?
Answer question 10
Primary Stage
Secondary Stage
Mature (Climax) Stage
Fire
SUCCESSION IN THE PINE BARRENS
The Pine Barrens are “stuck” in the secondary stage of succession because of the frequent fires that come through the Pine Barrens. When a fire comes through any deciduous trees (maple, oak) are burnt and killed. The pitch pine survives the fire and is able to reproduce because of its serotinous cones, thick bark and epicormic branching.
More to think about…
Why doesn’t the forest go back to the primary stage after a fire?
Explain why the dominant vegetation is always pitch pine trees.
What adaptations do pitch pines have that make them survive and
reproduce after a fire?