ALC: Shaws Creek Preserve Burn

Fire is to a longleaf pine forest what rain is to a rainforest. However, fire has long been excluded from many of our local longleaf pine ecosystems. The Shaws Creek Preserve Conservation Easement was no exception. Recently though, the City of Aiken and Aiken Land Conservancy have been working hard to restore the longleaf pine ecosystems on the property.

Some areas of the property have had dense stands of planted loblolly pine cleared to make way for longleaf pine reintroduction. Other areas have had the forests thinned, allowing more light to reach the forest floor and benefiting native wildflower and wildlife species. Other areas, where longleaf pine was already present, have received fire for the first time in many years.

photos by Peter Kleinhenz

Recently, Aiken Land Conservancy staff joined Black Magic Land Management staff and volunteers to reintroduce fire to 135 acres of the Shaws Creek Preserve. The burn went very well, reducing fuels that posed a wildfire risk, improving groundwater recharge, and creating better habitat for species such as brown-headed nuthatch, Northern bobwhite quail, wild turkey, and Southern fox squirrel. In fact, the day after the burn, wild turkey and white-tailed deer were observed foraging in the burn unit.

The burn took place in an area where only a couple of brown-headed nuthatches were seen during pre-burn surveys that took place last breeding season as part of ALC's involvement in the Burning for Birds Conservation Collaborative. A follow-up survey will take place this spring, and we anticipate great results!