Management by disturbance: the longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem at the Aiken gopher tortoise heritage preserve

The longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem covered much of the present day Southeastern United States prior to European settlement. Its estimated that over 92 million acres of forest existed. Around 2 million acres remain, with less than 10 thousand acres in old growth forests. The management and restoration of these ecosystems are often challenged by lack of baseline information of their old growth forests. In South Carolina, there are no old growth forests remaining. This thesis will explore historical descriptions, perceptions, and present-day interpretations of this ecosystem. These descriptions offer glimpses into its composition, disturbances, and processes. The most dynamic of these processes is fire, as the longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem is a fire dependent forest. The management and restoration of these ecosystems should reflect an understanding of past disturbances to these processes. This thesis asks the question can the restoration of processes serve as the minimal force for the natural regeneration of longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem? It envisions an experimental state preserve where the restoration of natural processes perpetuates the longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem and its biodiversity.