R E D H I L L S F O R E S T S T E W A R D S H I P G U I D E RED HILLS FOREST STEWARDSHIP GUIDE Contributing Authors Ronald E. Masters, Ph.D. Kevin Robertson, Ph.D. Bill Palmer, Ph.D. Jim Cox Kevin McGorty Lane Green Christine Ambrose, Ph.D. Contributing Landowners and Managers Charles Balfour Earl H. Bennett Warren Bicknell, III Mrs. Edward A. Davis, Jr. Herbert DeMott Edward Epp Kathy Folsom Larry Fudge Ray Gainey Larry Harmon Joe Harvey Donald Haskins, Jr. Kate Ireland Wesley Langdale Sonny Lee Gary McGrady Ellery Sedgwick, III Walter C. Sedgwick Alan Tucker Ebe Walter Robert N. Walthall Ben J. Watkins, III Mrs. Robert C. Webster Mrs. Daphne F. Wood, III Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy Miscellaneous Publication No. 12 ISSN 0496-764X Second Edition ©2007, Tall Timbers Research, Inc. Tallahassee, Florida, USA VISION STATEMENT Our goal is to pass the land on to future generations in as good, if not better, condition than when received. Along with that, we desire to pass along our love of the land and our stewardship ethic. – Red Hills Landowners ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Red Hills Forest Stewardship Guide was funded by a grant from the Turner Foundation. We gratefully acknowledge the Foundation’s support and its commitment to conservation and research. We also wish to thank Dr. Lenny Brennan, former director of research at Tall Timbers Research Station, who acquired the grant and conceived of the need for this guide. In addition, our knowledge of the Red Hills was expanded considerably by the work of Dr. Christine Ambrose and Dr. Keith Moser, conducted in partial fulfillment of grant requirements. This document is the result of the collaboration of a great many people. The process of developing the guide involved considerable interaction between Red Hills landowners, managers and foresters and Tall Timbers’ scientists, conservationists and land managers. This guide is dedicated to the landowners, managers and foresters of the Red Hills for without their commitment to hunting and conservation, the beautiful landscape known as the Red Hills would not exist. We gratefully acknowledge the efforts of Bob McDonald, who facilitated the series of interactive meetings that developed dialogue between the Red Hills landowners and land managers and the Tall Timbers research and conservation staff. We also acknowledge the efforts of Kaye Gainey and Lisa Baggett in assisting with all aspects of the interactive meetings and in organizing participant input. They also produced many of the graphics included in the guidebook and assisted with word processing. We appreciate the diligence and care with which Kathy Marois entered and organized comments from the various sessions. We also acknowledge the helpful reviews of all or selected portions of this publication by Wilson Baker, Earl Bennett, Warren Bicknell, Dr. Bill Boyer, Dr. Lenny Brennan, Dr. Dale Brockway, Dave Brownlee, David Copps, Bruce Davenport, Dr. Todd Engstrom, Kaye Gainey, Ray Gainey, Dr. Jim Guldin, Larry Hedrick, Stuart Jackson, Jessica Masters, Bob McDonald, Leon Neel, Caroline Noble, Paula Seamon, Walter Sedgwick, and Shane Wellendorf. Special thanks is due Dr. Jim Guldin for assistance with developing diameter distribution graphs and Larry Hedrick for insightful discussions on even- aged and uneven-aged management. A special note of thanks is due Leon Neel for his review comments, open discussion of forest managment philosophy and time in the woods illustrating points. Pictured at the meetings organized to develop this Red Hills Forestry Stewardship Guide are landowners, land managers, Tall Timbers staff and facilitator, Bob McDonald (top left photo at right.) Photos by Ron Masters and Rose Rodriguez. P R E F A C E all Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy is about fire ecology, forests and wildlife in a conservation context. Its mission is to foster exemplary land stewardship through research, conservation and education. This stewardship balances ecological values Tand economic utility within a framework of long-term conservation. In keeping with this mission and purpose, Tall Timbers in 1998 applied for and received a grant from the Turner Foun- dation to study and characterize two important components of the Red Hills landscape. The first component was to deter- mine and map the extent of native ground cover. The second was to evaluate and describe forest management strategies that have perpetuated the open pine woodlands and associated values. Two reports, Remnants of a Forest: Mapping and Inventory of Ground Cover in the Red Hills Region of South Georgia and North Florida, by Dr. Christine Ambrose, and The Stoddard-Neel System of Ecological Forest Management in the Red Hills Region of Florida and Georgia, by Dr. Keith Moser, accomplished these goals. The Red Hills Forest Stewardship Guide is the final product of this grant. This guide was developed as an outgrowth of three interactive meetings organized by Tall Timbers in Summer 2002. These meetings involved the research and conservation staff of Tall Timbers first with landowners and land managers as separate groups, and, finally, with a joint session involving all participants. The purpose of these meetings was to more clearly define and better understand the landowners’ and managers’ distinct perspectives in successfully perpetuating the region’s rich biodiversity and heritage. Further, we wanted to foster an understanding of the management and research issues that they find important. In order to develop a useful guide, we needed to identify their specific land management objectives and long-term goals and to understand why they remain so committed to land ownership and management. This continuing dialogue, coupled with education and outreach, engages the owners, managers and Tall Timbers research and conservation staff, making every- one a contributor. It provides feedback to the respective parties to help guide the efforts of researchers and conservationists. The outcome of this process is improved communication and an exceptional educational opportunity. Magnificent longleaf pine forest with a lush carpet of bracken fern ground cover. Photo by Christine Ambrose. T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S Introduction .................................................. 6 Forces that Shaped the Red Hills Region ............................ 9 Natural History ............................................ 9 Human Influences ......................................... 10 Understanding Your Forest ...................................... 13 Forest Function and Ecology ............................ 13 The Role of Fire ........................................... 16 Management by Design ......................................... 19 Development of a Plan ...................................... 19 Timber Management ....................................... 22 Wildlife Habitat Management ................................ 41 Managing Your Forest as an Ecosystem ............................. 57 Managing at the Ecosystem Level ............................. 57 Managing at the Community Level ............................ 58 Conservation Easements ........................................ 67 Bringing It Together ........................................ 67 The Future of the Red Hills ..................................... 71 Selected References ............................................ 72 Appendices ................................................... 75 Guidelines for Safe Prescribed Burning ......................... 75 Protected Species in the Red Hills Region ....................... 76 R E D H I L L S F O R E S T S T E W A R D S H I P G U I D E I N T R O D U C T I O N onservationists like Gifford Pinchot and Aldo Leopold today are revered for the legacy of words they left on their personal interactions with the land. Indeed, their words prompt us to renew and rekindle our relationship with the land. In Round River, Aldo Leopold Cwrote, “The land is one organism. Its parts, like our own parts, compete with each other and cooperate with each other. The competitions are as much a part of the inner workings as the co- operations. You can regulate them—cautiously—but not abolish them. … To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.” “Keeping all the parts” has become increasingly problematic with the continual upward spiral of human populations and ensuing development pressures. So much has been written about this that, at times, the clarion call seems almost trite. A legacy of words is important, but more important, is the legacy actually left on the land. Designated as one of America’s “Last Great Places” by the Nature Conservancy, the Red Hills’ park-like pine forests, with their diverse ground cover, predominate between Thomasville, Georgia, and Tallahassee, Florida. The region contains some of the finest remaining examples of old-growth longleaf pine forests and woodlands. The open woodlands provide for wildlife, protect our clean air, provide a sink for carbon sequestration and help to recharge the Floridan aquifer, a source of fresh drinking water for portions of Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Much of the ecological significance of the Red Hills region is associated with its intact native ground cover. Even though relatively few species are represented in the canopy of these woodlands, the native ground cover is incredibly diverse and rich. Many areas will average over 50 different plant species per square yard. A key element is wiregrass. Nationally, only about 2 percent of the original extent remains.