Fuel "Reduction" Indeed

I finally got a response of sorts from the person in charge of managing the preserve regarding the massive chainsaw operations around the Scrub Lupine planting areas.

The answer and promise not to laugh. was that they were conducting a "fuels reduction" operation. As you can see from these photos nothing has been reduced: except the height of the fuels.

Now there is a mass of dead vegetation lying on the ground, and in some cases seeming to block any chance for lupine seedlings to sprout beneath the dense piles of chainsawed foliage. I searched what open areas still remained in the first planting area and did not find any sign of seedling emergence.

There has been a mild drought this year and that was probably a factor, too.

Nevertheless, I suspect this work is done by unsupervised contractors, My original suggestion that they clear around the planting areas to reduce shade and leaf litter was somehow misinterpreted to mean to cut down a bunch of trees and leave the debris lying across the landscape.  

Meanwhile, summer is coming. Maybe a lucky lightning strike or two will deal with the situation.

The visit did have some highlights. Scrub blazing star, scrub morning glory and Curtiss' milkweed are blooming along with some more common plant species. Also, I flushed a Common Nighhawk from  its spot along one of the trails on my way and out of the preserve, which leads ne to believe it may be nesting. I left quickly to avoid stressing it.further.

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The Lake Blue Chainsaw Massacre

 I went to the preserve yesterday to check on McFarlin's Lupine seedlings that had emerged this year..

It did not go well.

My first stop was the second planting area.

I was greeted with a wall of downed trees, but was finally able to find a way through by moving a couple of small trees that had been chainsawed. I found two seedlings.

I went to the third planting area and saw no entry point.

Finally, I headed to the east-west path and found it was blocked, too.

I found a way in farther west from the northern fire lane. but encountered another blockade.

I worked my way though it but there was so much chain sawed trees and brush it seemed the seedling areas I normally survey were covered in brush, so I left. 

I sent an email to the FWC volunteer coordinator  this morning to find out what was going on.

If I find out anything, I will provide an update.

Lupine Update: No Surviving Seedlings This Year

 I revisited the site today to see if either of the two surviving Scrub Lupine seedlings were still alive.

They were not.

It has been a relatively dry summer and fall, but these are scrub plants that are adapted to arid conditions. so I doubt weather had anything to do with it.

All of the other plants here are thriving.

Habitat quality is not the whole story, either. 

Although some parts of the original planting areas and a later planting area are badly overgrown, there is still adequate open habitat with minimal leaf litter at the sites where this year's seedlings emerged. There seems to be fewer and fewer seedlings emerging each year. 

This was an experiment and sometimes experiments do not produce the desired results.

One thing I was wondering about is whether putting fire in the never-burned section where lupines emerged from an old seed bank might produce some results.

I'll leave that to people who are more qualified than I am to evaluate the situation All I can do is monitor and report the results.

Garberia Putting On A Show

 I spent some time today clearing the access to the south tract, which had become overgrown.

I noticed someone had mowed the area around the walk-through entrance to the north tract, which was welcome.  

Fron there I started clearing the previously opened path but need to come back when the weather moderates and I have more gear to get deeper into that tract.

I wanted to get far enough in to see if there has been any sprouting of Ghost Pipes,which have sometimes been numerous here, at least in wetter years (this was not one).

I did find a lovely patch of Garberia.

I also found and removed a small amount of trash.

Scrub Liatris Appears To Be Expanding

 I hiked the middle east-west trail today to check on the one surviving Scrub Lupine in the second planting area--it still lives and appears healthy--when I saw something else worth noting.

The Scrub Blazing Star aka Sand Torch (Liatris ohlingerae) appears to be spreading into the habitat on both sides of the trail. There were several plants in various stages of flowering both at the edge of the trail.and in the nearby open scrub.

I had also saw one plant in full bloom along the north-south trail, which 20 years ago was the main  location of this species in the preserve. 

I also saw a couple of  Bonamia grandiflora and  Asclepias curtissi.

I was also checking on something else, which was the presence or absence of acorns on the Turkey Oaks.

It was mostly absence. I cannot explain it since there  many acorns on these trees right now in other parts of the county. Very curious. 

And Then There Were Two

 I went out to check the site today after a strong storm came through the other day, but did not see anything concerning in the section I visited.

While I was there, I checked on the Scrub Lupine seedlings.

Only two have survived. One in the first planting area and one in the second planting area.

The rainy season has arrived and the fire lane vegetation is rank in some places.

Also, the Ear Tree growing in the right of way just outside the fence near the walk-through entrance in the north tract is dropping seed pods in the fire lane. Hard to say if any of them will germinate, but certainly don't want to repeat the spread of what I guess are Poinciana trees on the north fire lane.

Because of some health issues.I did not hike the entire perimeter so I cannot comment on what is happening in the rest of the property,

While I was there I did collect a small amount of trash exposed in the sand from recent rains. That seems to be a neverending task.

  

Hardly A Seedling Anywhere; Second Plant Unexpectedly Blooms

 Thia is so far the worst season for seedlings I can recall. During a survey this week I found one more to bring the total barely into the double digits and it is almost April.

It has been somewhat drier than usual when I compared rainfall data at my home about a mile away between the two years.

There are no seedlings in the path so far.

Meanwhile, in the third planting area, a plant I though was dead has since my last visit sprouted leaves and flowers.

However the habitat around these plants is not hospitable to germination because it is overgrown and has a lot of leaf litter;

I may need to go out and do some temporary clearing and ask for a Ridge Rangers work day to follow up.