DECISION MEMO Prescribed Burn and Commercial Thinning ...

Compartment 63, Stand 11 (26 acres) is a dense loblolly pine stand with a build-up of natural
fuels on the ground causing an undesirable fire hazard. Georgia aster (Symphyotrichum
georgianum), a candidate species as listed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS),
was discovered along with non-native invasive plants including Japanese honeysuckle and
mimosa (Albizia julibrissin). Georgia aster is a relict species of post oak savanna/prairie
communities that existed in the Southeast prior to widespread fire suppression and
extirpation of large native grazing animals. It occupies a variety of dry habitats; the primary
controlling factor appears to be the availability of light. The majority of the remaining
Georgia aster populations survive adjacent to roads, along woodland borders, in dry, rocky
woods and within utility rights-of-way and other openings where current land management
mimics natural disturbance regimes. Most populations are small, and since the species’ main
mode of reproduction is vegetative, each isolated population probably represents just a few
genotypes. Many existing populations are threatened by woody plant succession due to fire
suppression, development, and highway expansion/improvement and herbicide application
(USFWS 2002).
Commercial thinning in Stand 11 will reduce competition and stress among residual trees,
enhance growth and health, reduce the potential for disease and insect infestation, and
enhance open woodland habitat conditions for wildlife and shade-intolerant plant species,
including Georgia Aster. Associated activities required for maintenance of this site, and
addressed in other decisions (Georgia Aster population and Habitat Enhancement Decision
Memo, 2004), include seed collecting, out-planting, monitoring and non-native invasive plant
control (USDA, 2009).
This project is consistent with the following goals and objectives of the “Revised Land and
Resource Management Plan” (USDA, 2004): Specific goals identified in the LRMP, that
guided this project include:
Goal 10: Continue to the conservation and recovery of federally-listed species and take
necessary actions to maintain viable populations of all species thereby avoiding the
need to list those species.
o Objective 10.02: Maintain or restore at least 8 self-sustaining populations for Georgia
aster (Symphyotrichum georgianum) …., and the habitat to support them.
Goal 14: Manage forest ecosystems and associated communities to maintain or restore
composition, structure, function and productivity over time.
Goal 17: Manage forest stands so they are less susceptible to insect and disease.
o Objective 17.01: Improve forest health on 10,000-50,000 acres of pine forests by
reducing stand density.
Goal 20: Maintain and restore fire adapted ecosystems by reducing hazardous fuels
through the use of prescribed fire and mechanical fuel treatments.
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