ALC: Thomas Tract Burn
The Thomas tract before prescribed burning.
The Thomas Tract consists of 191 acres in Barnwell County, South Carolina that Aiken Land Conservancy owns. The Thomas Tract is adjacent to a 148-acre conservation easement that Aiken Land Conservancy holds. Both properties contain mature longleaf pine sandhill but, according to the landowner of the conservation easement, the sandhill on either property had not been burned in at least 25 years. Despite possessing many native groundcover species, sparkleberry and turkey oaks have shaded out these species in many places and fuel loads on the forest floor were nearly a foot deep in places.
Fire break installed with support from the Conservation Collaborative.
For years, the landowner of the conservation easement has asked Aiken Land Conservancy for assistance with burning but, due to limited funding and capacity, this had not occurred. Funding from the Burning for Birds Conservation Collaborative catalyzed work getting underway and discussions began early in 2024. Based on the funding available and the need to reintroduce fire very carefully to both ensure safety and protect old-growth longleaf pines, a burn unit was decided upon that included land on both the Thomas Tract and a portion of the Thomas Conservation Easement. All in all, the burn unit consisted of 52 acres. The landowner of the conservation easement created new, and refreshed existing, fire breaks and was compensated for this work through the grant.
Burn map showing the 52-acre area planned for burning.
Audubon volunteers conducting the pre-burn bird survey.
In mid-March, two Augusta-Aiken Audubon Society volunteers joined the Aiken Land Conservancy Executive Director, Peter Kleinhenz, to conduct the pre-burn bird survey. Multiple brown-headed nuthatches responded to the playback surveys, but no Northern bobwhites or Eastern towhees were noted.
Prescribed burn in March 2024.
The very next day after the surveys were conducted, Black Magic Land Management and their crew of volunteers, including Aiken Land Conservancy board member, Wendy Gutfarb, conducted the burn. The burn was exciting, as the large amount of fuel coupled with the need to protect old-growth trees meant that everyone needed to be on their A-game. The burn progressed slowly and carefully but, in the end, it went off without a hitch and surprised everyone with the extent to which the hardwoods were reduced by the single burn.
During a monitoring visit the following May, catbells (Baptisia perfoliata) and various grass species were already sending up new growth. Most significantly, in the distance, two Bachman’s sparrows sang vigorously from a nearby field. The landowner had never heard the species before, and they had not been noted from the property during a monitoring visit during the breeding season last year. Though it’s impossible to say for certain, it is very possible that the Bachman’s sparrows moved onto the property due to the recent burning. If so, that signifies just how valuable reintroducing fire to these longleaf pine ecosystems can be.
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.