Our tour has already traveled past one area
that will become atwoods, now we visit
a more mature growth of pines. The
trees here are a mix of longleaf and
slash pines, and together they are
the most commonly found pine trees
here at Duette Preserve. The pine
atwoods is one of the most extensive
terrestrial ecosystems in the state and,
indeed, was once very prevalent in the
S with large forested areas running from
Texas all the way north to New York. Here
the land has little topography; it’s relatively at and uniform.
Although these are considered “uplands” during the rainiest parts
of the year they may be temporarily ooded due to their poorly
drained sandy soil. Because the tree canopy here is open, lots of
sunlight reaches below, and a variety of plants can be found here
including spikey saw palmetto and grasses like wire grass and
lovegrass. While the sparse canopy does provide some shade,
the sun is not obscured as it would be in an oak hammock or
other areas, and so it is common to see a variety of plants here.
One of the land management tools used in the preserve to keep
uplands systems like the pine atwoods healthy is the application
of prescribed re. Manatee County’s land managers receive
extensive training to carefully plan and execute res intended to
improve the habitat. Just as a doctor would write a prescription
to improve the health of a patient the Rangers survey the land
and write prescriptions or plans to allow the safe use of re to
achieve the desired result.
Because many of these communities are re dependent, it is
important that the res happen with as regular frequency as
would be normal for the habitat, around 1 to 10 years depending
on the habitat type. With the arrival of humans and well-meaning
campaigns such as Smokey the Bear, re exclusion has meant
many areas have gone without burns for long periods of time.
The absence of re allows fuel to build up and this can result in
catastrophic wildres and/or degradation of habitat as the land
becomes overgrown. The exclusion of re can also allow exotic
invasive species to take over an area, growing unchecked.
Manatee County maintains an active burn program in many of
its natural lands. Of all the preserves Duette supports the most
extensive re dependent habitats in the county. Five to eight
thousand acres of land are treated with re here each year. With
each prescribed re carefully planned, managed, and carried out
by trained staff. Even when burns are conducted the preserve
is often still open with few trail closures or impacts as the res
naturally cycle through. During your trip, keep an eye out along
the trail to see if you can spot areas that have been recently
burned. It may surprise you to see how quickly the land bounces
back with fresh new green shoots pushing up through the black
earth days after the re passes through the habitat.
Life in the pines