News Release

Biologists return state lands to natural state

October 26, 2009
Contact: Karen Parker, 386-758-0525

The oak trees at Half Moon Wildlife Management Area (WMA) provided some comfort from the heat of the day. The lofty trees shaded the area, and the biologists took a break.

"It's beautiful at first glance, isn't it?" asked Nancy Dwyer, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologist at the Half Moon office. "But, take a closer look around you. What do you actually see?"

The leaf litter from the oaks was thick. Aside from the trees, there wasn't much growing in the shaded areas. The very few longleaf pines that had managed to struggle out of the litter were stunted and warped.

"We call this 'the brown desert,'" Dwyer said. "There's no diversity here. When the oak stands become too thick, they shade out everything. Plants can't grow here due to low sunlight. The oak leaves don't burn well, so fire doesn't go through the area. The pine trees can't regenerate, and they're an essential component of fire-adapted ecosystems because their needles help carry fire through the area.  And aside from acorns dropping in the fall, there's little food for wildlife on the ground. This looks more like 'people' habitat."

Dwyer moved farther into the hammock.

"I see light," she said. "Check this out."

A large oak had fallen over, and the dense overhead canopy had a clearing. Sunlight poured through the hole. Several different plants were growing in the patch of light, even though the tree had fallen just a short time ago.

"This diversity is one reason why we need to reduce and thin these stands," Dwyer said. "We don't want to get rid of every oak. They have their place in the ecosystem. However, we do want to remove some of the more aggressively invading oak species such as laurel and water oaks. These trees grow quickly and inhibit other low-growing plants from germinating.  Fewer seed-bearing grasses, broad-leaved plants and other young woody species grow, which means less food for both game and nongame animals." 

The biologists want to restore these portions of the area to the open pine flatwoods that existed here historically. Aerial photos from 1941 show vast, cleared areas in Half Moon WMA. Dense oak stands now occupy these clearings.

"Most of the 'grandfather' oaks you see on Half Moon in these former clearings are less than 75 years old," Dwyer said. 

Regardless of their age, there is controversy over the oaks being cut down. 

"Some folks are very upset about these trees being removed. We want to educate the public on why we are controlling the oaks," Dwyer said. 

The biologists are performing a balancing act. They realize they need to remain sensitive to the fact that the oaks are important to people using the area.  Hunters want the acorns on the ground when hunting season rolls around because the deer are attracted to them. Horseback riders want to enjoy the shade and the beauty of the trees.

However, the biologists also need to consider the habitat requirements of a host of open-forest and grassland animals such as bobwhite quail, gopher tortoise, red-cockaded woodpecker, Florida scrub-jay and Sherman's fox squirrel. The restored habitat would provide year-round food for grassland and browsing species instead of just the two months when acorns drop.

"The benefits of improved wildlife forage throughout the year far outweigh the benefits realized during the narrow window of acorn drop, even for deer," said Dwyer.

Another reason for reducing the number of oaks is to return fire, once natural, to the ecosystem.

"Prescribed fire is one of the most crucial and cost-effective tools land managers use. Prescribed fire reduces hazardous fuel buildups, thus providing increased protection to people, their homes and the forest. Reducing the fuel vastly reduces the chance of smoky, destructive wild fires," Dwyer said. "But the 'brown desert' won't burn well."

Using prescribed fire also helps control disease in young pines and improves habitat for wildlife.

"It's also used to maintain fire-dependent ecosystems," Dwyer said. "Burns at regular intervals benefit the growth of herbaceous groundcover plants. These plants are vital, natural food for game animals. Deer, turkey, quail and rabbits all rely on some groundcover plants, and deer eat the succulent woody re-growth."

"Many plants and animals are adapted to fire and actually depend on it for survival. For example, some plants won't reproduce until after a fire. The more-drastic measures we're taking now are due to suppressing lightning fires in the past century. We're trying to catch up from 100 years of fire-suppression so that, in the future, fire will be the only land management tool we'll need," Dwyer said. 

In the northwest corner of the Lake Panasoffkee WMA, Joel DeAngelis, a senior land management specialist with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is using similar methods to restore fire-maintained communities on its lands.

"Like the FWC, we're conducting oak removal strategically by targeting sites with the best prospects for restoration, namely those areas that have retained enough of the original community structure and species composition to make restoration possible," DeAngelis said. "By shifting the landscape back to the original fire-maintained communities, we will increase habitat for a greater diversity of plants and animals while continuing to support species adapted to hardwood-dominated habitats created by fire suppression."

The two agencies also share concerns over public perception of removing the oak trees.

"Land managers throughout the state have the same concern … that some people don't want the trees removed," DeAngelis said. "Education is the key to solving the perception problem. There is a reason we're doing what we're doing, and it's based on a long-term commitment to actively and sustainably managing natural systems on public lands."