Descriptions of Common Plant Communities in the South
| Cultivated agricultural lands | Very Low Fire Hazard |
| • | Land under a variety of agricultural uses, including pastures, orchards and croplands |
| • | May be similar in appearance to grasslands but frequent irrigation and tillage decreases the fire hazard |
| • | Abandoned fields that have been fallow for several years should not be considered in this fuel type (see Grasslands) |
| • | This fuel type supports fires of low intensity and spread rate |
| Hardwood forest/mature pine plantation | Low Fire Hazard |
| • | Closed forests of large deciduous trees with overlapping branches |
| • | Common trees include oaks, hickories, maples and scattered pine or cedar |
| • | Few shrubs exist underneath the trees, but the ground is often covered with dead leaves and needles, which carry the fire |
| • | Older pine plantations with few shrubs are also included |
| • | Fires in this fuel type are rare during the summer and burn slowly, with low flames |
| • | Fires in this fuel type burn faster and with higher flames during the winter and they may reach the tops of small trees in areas with significant dead wood on the ground |
| Seasonally flooded swamps | Low Fire Hazard |
| • | Density of trees ranges from sparse to dense |
| • | Common trees include baldcypress, pondcypress and bays |
| • | Shrubs, grass and aquatic plants may be present underneath the trees |
| • | Fires occur when the swamps are dry |
| • | If shrubs or grasses are present, they carry the fire, but flames rarely reach the tree tops |
| • | The thick layers of muck or duff on top of the soil of swamps can burn and/or smolder for long periods of time if ignited, producing much smoke |
| Pine savannas | Moderate
Fire
Hazard |
| • | Open pine forest with low density of trees |
| • | Ground covered with perennial grasses, some pine needles and dead branches |
| • | The lowest branches on the trees are often at least 20 feet above the grass |
| • | Historically, the grasses burned frequently (every 2 to 5 years) with low intensity, fast-moving fires |
| Grasslands | Moderate Fire Hazard |
| • | Open grasslands, savannas and old agricultural fields |
| • | Few or no shrubs and trees |
| • | Common grasses include ryegrass, broomsedge, bahia grass and fescues |
| • | When ignited, fast-moving surface fires are common |
| • | Windy conditions can result in extreme fire behavior |
| Marshes | Moderate Fire Hazard |
| • | Dense reeds and grasses that grow in marshy or wet areas |
| • | Includes the sawgrass prairies of south Florida and cogongrass in nonwet areas |
| • | Grasses are at least 3 feet tall |
| • | At least 1/3 of the above-ground plant tissue is dead |
| • | Fast moving, intense fires are common |
| • | Not a common fuel type near residential developments |
| Pine forests with shrubs less than 6 feet tall | High Fire Hazard |
| • | Moderate to high density of shrubs that are 2 to 6 feet tall |
| • | Forest of tall pine trees of varying densities whose lower branches are separated vertically from shrubs |
| • | Common shrubs include gallberry, palmetto, fetterbush, wax myrtle and various bays |
| • | Includes young to middle-age pine plantations with shrubs underneath |
| • | Fire intensities and spread rates vary significantly, but long flame lengths and moderate spread rates can occur |
| Young hardwood forests/Piedmont or Highlands shrub communities | High Fire Hazard |
| • | This fuel category groups various shrub and small tree communities |
| • | Shrubs are less dense and/or shorter than in pocosins |
| • | Distribution of shrubs is often patchy |
| • | Lands dominated by young, deciduous shrubs and trees that developed after a major disturbance (e.g., logging) are also included |
| • | Under windy conditions, fire travels through shrubs — but it will drop down to ground in open patches |
| Recently logged or cleared forests with downed woody debris | High
Fire Hazard
|
| • | Areas where trees were recently logged (includes partial cuts and clearcuts) |
| • | Branches and trunks of trees (called slash) were left on the ground |
| • | Fires in this fuel type can spread fast and burn intensely, producing abundant firebrands |
| • | Slash that is at least 3 years old will burn slower and be less intense because of decomposition of the dead woody material |
| Dense shrubs over 6 feet tall | Very High Fire Hazard |
| • | High density of shrubs that are 6 feet or taller |
| • | Trees may or may not be present above shrubs |
| • | In the coastal regions of the Carolinas this fuel type includes pocosins |
| • | Also includes areas of southern rough that have high densities of tall shrubs ( >6 feet) |
| • | Fires in this fuel type often burn with high intensity and rates of spread |
| • | Leaves of living shrubs carry fires in this fuel type |