Restoring the Ground Layer of Longleaf Pine Ecosystems

The longleaf pine ecosystem includes some of the most species-rich plant communities outside of the tropics, and most of that diversity resides in the ground layer vegetation. In addition to harboring many locally endemic and otherwise rare plant species (Peet this volume) and enhancing habitat for the resident fauna (Costa and DeLotelle this volume), the ground layer vegetation produces fine fuel needed to carry low-intensity surface fires that perpetuate the ecosystem. Ecosystem restoration requires the restoration of both the ground layer plant community and the pine canopy. Ground layer restoration in longleaf pine communities is an area of active investigation, through both adaptive management projects and formal research. However, there is no restoration manual for the longleaf pine community. Instead, restoration practitioners develop their action plans based on an ecological reference model and project goals, and achieve their objectives using conventional natural resources management and horticultural methods. Given the natural heterogeneity of the longleaf pine ecosystem at multiple scales and the differences imposed by a varied land use history, one could argue that there never will be a manual to adequately describe or prescribe restoration protocols for all situations;