Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystems in the southeastern United States have declined substantially from an estimated 92 million acres in the pre-Columbian time period to 4.3 million acres at present, largely due to agricultural conversion, urbanization and replacement by other forest types, notably loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). The open landscape character of longleaf pine ecosystems is characterized by a lower carbon stocking and prairie-like understory dominated by grasses and low woody vegetation . Lower carbon stocking combined with greater drought tolerance in longleaf pine suggest that longleaf pine stands generally consume less water relative to loblolly pine and slash pine dominated stands. The decline of longleaf pine ecosystems in the southeastern Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions has, at least since the 1940s been accompanied by decreasing precipitation and increased summer drought , and declining trends in available surface clean water supplies . In view of an continuing increase in drought occurrence in the near future , and shifts in forest size and stand structure, the question has arisen whether primary land management objectives for prescribed burning and longleaf pine restoration can positively influence current and future surface clean water supplies.
The goals of the proposed research are to:* Improve the conceptual understanding of the effects of prescribed burning and forest restoration of longleaf pine ecosystems on hydrologic pathways and the fate of excess water, and;* Gain quantitative knowledge of the impacts of prescribed burning and longleaf pine ecosystem restoration on water supply in the southeastern United States, in particular in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions.
