Home : Features : Upland Habitat Research and Monitoring : Upland Habitat Projects

Scrub

Presented is a brief summary of the Scrub project.

---

The FWC manages several parcels of scrub throughout the state.  Fire prevention in some of these areas has resulted in so much overgrowth of vegetation that introducing a prescribed fire is not safe or practical.  As a result, mowing, chopping, and harvesting are used to mimic the natural disturbance caused by fire. These mechanical treatments are necessary to maintain the open habitat preferred by most scrub flora and fauna.  The FWC has begun a study to compare the effects of these mechanical treatments with and without fire on the vegetation of scrub communities. Study areas include the inland wildlife and environmental area (WEA) of Lake Wales Ridge as well as the coastal scrub communities within the wildlife management areas (WMA) of Guana River and Chassahowitzka. Treatments include mow-only, chop-only (roller chop), mow and burn, chop and burn, harvest, and harvest and burn. To compare these treatments, one-meter square, four-meter square and 100-meter square sampling areas are used to sample the herbs, shrubs, and trees, respectively.

Map of the Chassahowitzka WMA Scrub project site

Map of the Guana River WMA Scrub project site

Map of the Lake Wales Ridge Scrub project site

 

Photo taken between burn and and no-burn treatment plots at Lake Wales Ridge WEA

 

Plot number six two years after a harvest treatment at Chassahowitzka WMA

 

Plot number six three years after a harvest treatment at Chassahowitzka WMA

 

Plot number six five years after a harvest treatment at Chassahowitzka WMA

---

Image credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)