Waiting for the bus to pick us up in Auburn. Some left home as early as 3:30 a.m. to meet the bus.
Loading up.
Ronald Britnell, CEC in Morgan County, left, and Jim Armstrong, Professor and Extension Wildlife Specialist.
Patrick Cook, REA, navigating in some tough conditions.
Flooding caused by Hurricane Fay was visible at several river crossings.
Ron Masters, Director of Research at Tall Timbers Research Station, welcomes us.
Kevin Robertson, researcher at Tall Timbers Research Station, explains the effects of prescribed fire on vegetation and soil.
David Ray, researcher at Tall Timbers, speaks on prescribed fire and forest management. He introduced us to the term "Ecological Forestry", which is natural forest management informed by historical disturbance regimes.
More flooding caused by Hurricane Fay.
Checking the road conditions. Fortunately, the sandy soil stays firm in wet weather.
Plots started over 40 years show the effects of a long-established burn regime. This plot has been burned every year. This regime results in too much grass and a lack of cover to be ideal for quail. Note the lack of understory trees.
Ron points out that the three year burn rotation has too much understory, and too much woody brush. He says that three years is too long here in Florida, but also over wide areas of the U. S. and even other countries.
This plot has been burned every two years, and this provides the best mix of cover and hardwood control. All the quail plantations we visited burned on a two year rotation.
Danny Cain, CEC in Walker County, next to a giant agave plant.
Jim Cox, Tall Timbers Researcher, leads a tour of the Wade Tract.
Jim explains that the Wade Tract is one of the only tracts of Long Leaf in the world that remains similar to the once extensive long leaf forests.
We spot a Gopher Tortoise heading for its burrow.
Roger Vines, CEC in Coosa County, attempting to pull the tortoise out of the burrow.
Roger attempts to get a just a little better grip.
Just a little bit more.
Success!
Roger releases the tortoise, and it heads back to the burrow.
Beau Brodbeck, REA, takes a photo of some liatris or Blazing Star.
Patrick Cook, REA, identifies this shrub as Runner Oak. This fire-adapted oak is fully mature and has acorns.
Acorns on Runner Oak.
Roger pockets his acorns.
Tree with an active Red-cockaded woodpecker den.
Sap surrounding the hole protects the birds from tree climbing predators.
Many trees in the Wade Tract have been tagged for a long-term study. I believe they said over 20,000 trees have been tagged.
Tree that was probably felled by Hurricane Fay.
Roger points out native wiregrass that dominates the Wade Tract. Most forests lost wiregrass when the land was used for farming and grazing cattle. Wiregrass helps carry fire on growing season burns when other plants will not.
Annual prescribed burns on the Wade Tract prevented recruitment of longleaf pine. With the implementation of a two year burn cycle, longleaf can become established.
Dr. Jim Armstrong and Dr. Jim Cox
The Wade Tract
Stuck.
The Expedition gets stuck in a hole.
Dr. Lee Stribling, Professor and Extension Specialist and John Ollison, REA.
Clay Sisson-Director of Quail Research, guides us on a tour of Pineland Plantation. Pineland was established in 1949 on 20,000 acres. Together with other plantations that join Pineland, over 60,000 acres are managed primarily for quail.
Bird dog Kennels at Pineland Plantation.
Bird dog grave markers.
Horses and mules used to pull wagons that carry hunters across the plantation.
One of the Mellon brothers' homes.
Trap baited for nest predators.
John Ollison, REA and Clay Sisson.
Tommy Futral, CEC in Tallapoosa County. Young longleaf planted on Pineland to replace aging slash pines. Longleaf is planted in small patches to replicate a natural disturbance. Fire is excluded one time after planting, after that, the Longleaf can withstand the normal prescribed fires.
Ragweed provides insects for recently hatched quail.
The Flint River was up to about 16 feet, several feet short of flood stage.
Lewis Tapley, REA and Ronald Britnell, CEC-Morgan County
Caney Creek Plantation.
Caney Creek has been established about five years on 6,200 acres. About 3000 acres are still cropped and under center pivot irrigation.
Extremely large fields under these centerpivots provide very poor quail habitat.
At Caney Creek, hedgerows were added to the centerpivots to give quail some access to the fields. Note the wagon path down the center of the hedgerow.
Dog kennel at Caney Creek.
