Lighterwood Farm
Family Background and Crops
When Jesse Wimberley took over his family farm he decided to transition from a farm that historically grew tobacco to one growing longleaf pine. He chose to restore longleaf pine to his property and utilized fire to achieve this land management goal. Because of the unique natural history of the Sandhills, Jesse decided to put a conservation easement on the wet areas of his property. His farm is managed for both conservation value and straw production and achieves these two very different objectives using specific burn plans for each region.
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Why Burn?
Straw Production at the Lighterwood Farm (360°)
In this 360-degree video, click and drag your mouse on the video as it plays.
Jesse Wimberley manages pine plantations for straw production. These burns are usually high intensity, but not so intense that it kills young pines. Uneven stands must be burned after threat to the apical bud passes. Ideal conditions would be after February but before leaf out. Low humidity and high temperatures are needed to achieve the best results for straw production in pine plantations.
Sandhills Ecosystems and Fire (360°)
In this 360-degree video, click and drag your mouse on the video as it plays.
Jesse Wimberley’s family farm in the Sandhills of North Carolina utilizes fire as a land management tool. He is able to maintain firewise structures and manage for a variety of different land objectives to maximize economic value and biodiversity within his property. He has re-introduced fire on the landscape to restore longleaf pine for both conservation and straw production. He also preserves biodiverse hotspots known as hillside seeps through conservation easements to ensure the proliferation of some of the most unique flora and fauna endemic only to the sandhills.
Sandhills Ecosystem and Fire
Jesse Wimberley’s family farm in the Sandhills of North Carolina utilizes fire as a land management tool. He is able to maintain firewise structures and manage for a variety of different land objectives to maximize economic value and biodiversity within his property. He has re-introduced fire on the landscape to restore longleaf pine for both conservation and straw production. He also preserves biodiverse hotspots known as hillside seeps through conservation easements to ensure the proliferation of some of the most unique flora and fauna endemic only to the sandhills.
Diversity in the Sandhills – Lighterwood Farm
The Sandhills of North Carolina is a biodiverse ecosystem. The forest floor supports a variety of both flora and fauna. Within the sandhills exists an even more spectacular region of biodiversity known as a hillside or sandhill seep. These seeps are areas in which water is more abundant due to geologic structure. Coarse sands found in this ecosystem cause water to move quickly, but underneath lies a clay lens that stops further water movement through the soil layers. In a seep the clay lens is closer to the surface, which allows water to be more plentiful than in other areas in the Sandhills. This wet area supports a unique plant community that must be maintained by fire to prevent shading out.
Growing Season Burn – Lighterwood Farm
On Ligherwood Farm, as with many longleaf stands, a growing season burn can provide a strong control for deciduous trees and unwanted under-story species because these plants have already expended their energy sources during the emergence of leaves and flowers. These unwanted plants are at their most tender and vulnerable stage and least capable of withstanding a prescribed fire event.
Objectives on the Lighterwood Farm
Jesse Wimberley has two objectives for his farm. He manages for straw production to generate income and maintains conservation value on portions of the farm. Each of these objectives requires different prescriptions to attain the objective of interest. In straw production areas, he eliminates all competition and diversity since it can reduce the value of straw. When maximizing diversity for conservation value burns on areas of his property, Jesse uses a different burn technique. Each are dependent on topography, wind speed, and temperature. Each of these parameters can have different effects and achieve specific objectives when applied under certain conditions.
Reintroducing Fire into the Sandhills
The Sandhills region of North Carolina has had fire suppressed in some areas for up to 50 years. Today efforts to restore forests to historical fire regimes can be problematic. This absence of fire has allowed for unnatural accumulations of fuels. With these higher fuel loads, fires can burn much hotter than those that historically burned the land.
When re-introducing fire into these fire suppressed ecosystems, it is essential that land managers begin with dormant season burns. Dormant season burns are those that are conducted during the colder times of the year and are used to reduce fuel loads. Dormant season burns can help minimize high fire temperatures and protect the canopy from extreme fire behavior that can increase stress on the desired vegetation. Historically fire was brought on by lightning ignition in the summertime, but due to fire suppression, our strategies for land management must adapt to minimize impact on desired plant species.
Planning
Restoring Longleaf on Lighterwood Farm
When Jesse Wimberley took over his family farm he decided to transition from a farm that historically grew tobacco to one growing longleaf pine. He chose to restore longleaf pine to his property and utilized fire to achieve this land management goal. Because of the unique natural history of the Sandhills, Jesse decided to put a conservation easement on the wet areas of his property. His farm is managed for both conservation value and straw production and achieves these two very different objectives using specific burn plans for each region. The straw production areas have tight basal distribution, whereas the areas supporting conservation value are more open to support native plant and animal communities.
Straw Production at the Lighterwood Farm (360°)
In this 360-degree video, click and drag your mouse on the video as it plays.
Jesse Wimberley manages pine plantations for straw production. These burns are usually high intensity, but not so intense that it kills young pines. Uneven stands must be burned after threat to the apical bud passes. Ideal conditions would be after February but before leaf out. Low humidity and high temperatures are needed to achieve the best results for straw production in pine plantations.
In Stand Burns in Pine Production Areas
Jesse Wimberley discusses his approach to one of his recent prescribed burn events. He was able to conduct an in-stand burn in one of his pine production areas. His objective for the burn was to eliminate all deciduous trees because it is a detriment to pine straw production. To achieve his objectives, he waited until the plants had leafed out. Within this pine plantation the ideal burn parameters were low wind with humidity and temperatures within the ranges set forth in the burn plan. At the conclusion of this burn, Jesse was able to achieve 100% kill on emergent deciduous plans, had no young pine mortality, no scorch, and eliminated competition.
Three-Year-Cycle Approach to Land Management
A three-year-cycle approach is encouraged for private landowners wanting to use fire to manage land and promote straw production. This cycle is called burn, rake, and leave. The idea is that you burn one year, rake it the next, and finally leave it on the third year. Time is needed to accumulate a fuel layer so it will ignite. Alternating tasks from one year to the next will help in meeting objectives. A forest cannot be raked every year and not burned, so a balance must be achieved in order to attain objectives efficiently.
Preburn at Lighterwood Farm
Early settlers in the sandhills quickly became firewise and adapted to an environment where fire was common. Fire suppression was non-existent during this time, so it was essential that individuals could protect themselves, their families, and property from approaching wildfires. Wildfires were common and preparation to combat them was a part of the Sandhills way of life. Over the years, this knowledge of natural fire regimes and firewise practices have been lost.
Today, fire has developed a negative perception among majority of individuals. Fire education, outreach, and communication to all parties involved is the only way to reverse negative perceptions surrounding fire use as a land management tool. Jesse Wimberley prioritizes fire education and shares his knowledge with his neighbors and the greater community in an effort to increase awareness on the importance of fire in our ecosystems.
For more information about smoke sensitive areas and the health impacts caused from smoke, please read the Southern Fire Exchange fact sheet,
http://www.southernfireexchange.org/SFE_Publications/factsheets/2012-8.pdf
Straw Production at the Lighterwood Farm
Jesse Wimberley manages pine plantations for straw production. These burns are usually high intensity, but not so intense that it kills young pines. Uneven stands must be burned after threat to the apical bud passes. Ideal conditions would be after February but before leaf out. Low humidity and high temperatures are needed to achieve the best results for straw production in pine plantations.
Conducting
Notifying Parties of Interest / Call In – Lighterwood Farm
Prior to starting ignition for a prescribed burn it is essential that parties of interest be notified. Making a non-emergency call helps make emergency responders aware of your actions. Since prescribed burns can be mistaken for that of a wildfire, these calls are essential in informing resources of your intentions so they can assist when issues arise. Giving address information, burn window times, and other pertinent information can help increase awareness and make the burn more successful.
Raking to Reduce Fire Spread and Decrease Threat to Micro Habitats
Jesse Wimberley and a fire crew member rake a line to remove fuels and expose the bare mineral soil. This will keep the moving flame front from crossing this zone lacking fuel. Stumps are also raked around to reduce the risk of fire to lighter stumps. These stumps are remnants of the original forest. Lighter stumps are perfect places for hibernaculum like snakes and lizards. Making sure these micro-habitats remain are essential in ensuring the proliferation of species like the Northern Pine Snake.
Raking to Reduce Fire Spread and Decrease Threat to Micro Habitats (360°)
In this 360-degree video, click and drag your mouse on the video as it plays to follow the crew raking a fireline on Lighterwood Farm.
The Burn Plan – Lighterwood Farm
Jesse Wimberly explains various considerations when he is planning a prescribed fire on a specific tract of timber. Topography, wind conditions, smoke management, and spot-over potential are all taken into consideration for this growing season burn. His objectives as a landowner, current forest condition and practical burn management all go into determining the goals for the burn.
Weather and Its Impact of Fire Behavior
Jesse Wimberley discusses how time of year and season can affect fire behavior. When conducting a prescribed burn be aware of weather conditions and how it changes hourly. Weather has a huge impact on how fire behaves and can create adverse conditions not supported under your approved burn plan. Under the conditions in the video, he explains that likelihood of isolated thunderstorms is great. Having a high likelihood of thunderstorms that can cause large gusts and erratic winds is not supportive of safe burning conditions. Under adverse weather conditions, fire should be postponed or halted.
Fire History and a Test Burn on Lighterwood Farm
While monitoring the test burn, Jesse Wimberley talks of the fire history in the unit. Previously, fire has been introduced into the stand five times. This reoccurrence of fire has reduced fuel accumulation and now only fresh fuels remain. According to the prescription previously set, the fire on this site is exhibiting flame lengths and movement in the direction initially anticipated. The crew will proceed with the prescribed burn while taking care to notice changes in weather, smoke movements, and fire behavior.
Minimizing the Risk for Spotting
Point ignitions forming a backing fire along the line can eliminate risk on the most vulnerable firelines. Jesse Wimberley and a fire crew member work to secure a black line along a fireline. This will minimize the risk of spotting over out of the desired burn unit. Point source fire is a firing technique that can be used to achieve smaller flame lengths than that of strip-heading fires. These are often used when less fire intensity is desired.
Evaluating
Fire Tolerance in Fire-Adapted Pines
Fire effects can be seen concluding a prescribed burn. Young trees are often at risk if a fire burns too hot. High intensity fires have the ability to damage the apical bud and prevent growth. Most of the time, land managers are able to promote pine species and minimize hardwoods as their primary objective. Since hardwoods and pine species have different fire tolerances, fire is used to control for undesired hardwoods.
Objectives on the Lighterwood Farm (360°)
Jessie Wimberly explains, and shows, how topography and wind speed are key considerations he must include as he sets the objectives for his prescribed burn. In this 360-degree video, click and drag your mouse on the video as it plays to gain a better understanding.
Fire-Adapted Species: Pond Pine (360°)
In this 360-degree video, click and drag your mouse on the video as it plays to…
Native species found in the sandhills, whether it be an insect, plant, or animal, have adapted to the presence of fire. One such fire adapted species is that of the Pond Pine. This species’ life cycle depends on fire for seed germination. The cones rely on fire to open and ensure successful germination. Because germination is prohibited if a cone falls on a thick fuel layer, having the adaptation of fire dependency ensures that the fuel layer has been reduced before the seed tries to establish itself. Timing of seed release thus coincides with the presence of fire to maximize survival.
For supplemental reading of fire adaptations please explore pgs. 9-10 at the following link:
http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/su/su_srs054.pdf
