March 7 was a great day. I hosted the crew from Archbold--Eric Menges, Carl Weekley and three students. They were interested in Liatris and Nolina and the general layout of the place. I gave them a pretty good orientation tour. Only one of them (Eric) had visited the site before. They were impressed by the number of Nolina. I also showed them the orchid site, though no plants were visible. I was pleased to see they had plotted my GPS data. After all of the grunt work I've done out there, I was pleased to see it is being put to some productive use. I was really happy and felt vindicated that my instincts proved out.
As I understand the research project, it involves the ongoing debate about mechanical clearing vs prescribed fire. Mechanical (gyrochopping) is a quick and dirty way to open the canopy, but it seems to me it doesn't renew the landscape the way fire does, though it does introduce disturbance. At this site that could be something to be viewed cautiously. I saw cogon grass sprouting from an old fire trench. Bare disturbed ground is, unfortunately, an equal opportunity plant host.
As I understand the research project, it involves the ongoing debate about mechanical clearing vs prescribed fire. Mechanical (gyrochopping) is a quick and dirty way to open the canopy, but it seems to me it doesn't renew the landscape the way fire does, though it does introduce disturbance. At this site that could be something to be viewed cautiously. I saw cogon grass sprouting from an old fire trench. Bare disturbed ground is, unfortunately, an equal opportunity plant host.
