Carolina Environmental Diversity Explorations
The longleaf pine savanna · By Dirk Frankenberg
Forest floor
Figure 11. Hardwoods are beginning to regenerate after a controlled burn. (Photograph by the author. More about the photograph)
Figure 11 shows the condition of the forest floor two months after a controlled burn in an area which had more hardwood fuel than those illustrated in Figures 9 and 10. Note the large number of burned stems and their dense coverage of areas to the right and left of the path. Note also the regeneration of leaves from some of the stumps in the foreground. This explains why frequent burning is efficient and poses less risk of a fire getting out of control than infrequent burning in places like this. Complete elimination of these hardwoods will take another burn.
Finally, note that even this relatively abundantly fueled fire did not destroy the mature pines in the canopy. Although the base of only one tree is shown, the needles on the charred forest floor are telltale signs that the canopy of the forest is still in place.
