Factors affecting wiregrass ( Aristida stricta Michx.) cover on uncut and site prepared sandhills areas in Central Florida

Abstract

Because wiregrass ( Aristida stricta Michx.) is a critical component of the longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris Mill.) community of the southeastern Coastal Plain, USA, providing the fuel for recurring surface fires, we need restoration techniques which favor or at least maintain it. The study objective was to investigate what factors influence wiregrass cover in mature longleaf stands and in areas recently site prepared for re-establishment of longleaf pine. All sandhills sites which had been given hexazinone during site preparation for reforestation to longleaf pine in the past 5 years in the Ocala National Forest, Florida, USA, were sampled during the late summer and autumn of 1990. Regression analyses showed wiregrass cover was greater on areas treated to reduce oak cover with the herbicide hexazinone when dry conditions prevailed the month following application. Moisture had the reverse effect on sites chopped to reduce scrub oaks, with wiregrass cover decreasing with drier conditions. Thus, to reduce wiregrass mortality hexazinone should be applied during dry periods while conversely chopping should be done when soil moisture is high.