ALC: True Bleu Farms Burn
True Bleu Farms, a 101-acre conservation easement northeast of Aiken, protects open horse pasture and scenic views from a public road. The back of the property, however, contains 60 acres of longleaf pine-dominated sandhill. During a conservation easement monitoring visit in 2023, the landowner expressed an interest in managing this sandhill with prescribed fire. That conversation set the wheels in motion to apply Burning for Birds Conservation Collaborative funds towards management of the property.
Sandhill habitat before burning.
The sandhill on the property had not been burned in decades. Pine needles hung in trees, maturing oaks and sparkleberry filled the mid-story, and the ground was soft with fallen pine needles, small branches, and other fine fuels. Still, a few mature longleaf pines stuck out above the oaks and, in places, young longleaf in the grass stage awaited their release from the oaks that were preventing them from receiving sunlight. The potential of this sandhill had not yet been lost.
An initial, pre-burn bird survey was conducted with a volunteer from Augusta-Aiken Audubon Society. The survey, which used playback to bring in target birds, revealed only two brown-headed nuthatches and one Eastern towhee.
Prescribed fire at True Bleu Farms.
Aiken Land Conservancy engaged a private burn contractor, Black Magic Land Management, to conduct the burn. Their team, along with several qualified volunteers, assisted in a burn on March 14th, 2024. The burn went exactly as planned, and 60 acres were burned completely. The landowner was present for the burn and was extremely pleased with the results. We are confident that the birds will be too.
To learn more about about Aiken Land Conservancy’s efforts to promote healthy habitat for birds as part of the Burning for Birds Conservation Collaborative, visit their project page by clicking on the button below.