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GENERAL LOCATION
 The study site is located on the Clemson Experimental Forest, which lies
within the Piedmont Physiographic region of South Carolina (map).
The forest covers approximately 7,100 hectares (ha) in Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens
counties and is managed by the Clemson University Department of Forest
Resources. Most of the land was acquired by the federal government during the 1930’s
and deeded to Clemson College after World War II to be used for research and
education.
 Elevation ranges
from 200 to 300 meters above sea level and the
area is characterized by gently rolling hills interspersed with deep gullies
resulting from erosion. Most soils on the Clemson Experimental Forest are of the
Cecil-Lloyd-Madison association. These are Ultisols with moderate to extremely
severe erosion. Entisols and Inceptisols are present but not abundant. Entisols
occur along streams and Inceptisols occur on steep slopes.
A wide variety of cover and site types can be found on the Clemson
Experimental Forest. Almost all of the forest is in second- or third-growth
timber resulting from reforestation programs during the Great Depression and
harvesting since that time. Dominant species are loblolly pine (Pinus taeda)
and shortleaf pine (P. echinata) with a mixture of oak and other
hardwoods in the canopy and subcanopy.
STUDY SITES
 Twelve treatment areas (minimum of 14 hectares in size) were selected and
assigned to one of three groups based on stand age: Block 1 - pulpwood-sized
trees (dbh 15-25 cm);
Block
2 - combination of pulpwood- and sawtimber-sized trees (dbh > 25 cm); or Block 3 -
sawtimber-sized trees. Treatment areas were
located throughout the Clemson Experimental Forest with 5 occurring on the north
forest, 7 on the south forest, and one at a satellite location (map). Each block
was composed of 4 treatment areas, one for each treatment (For more details
about treatments, see Experimental Design).
 FIRE HISTORY
The southeastern Piedmont is characterized by a history of disturbance dating
back to the arrival of Native American Indians 12,000 years ago. The Indians
used fire as a management tool to control dense undergrowth of forests, improve
habitat for game species, and clear land for cultivation. By the time European
settlers arrived in the 1600’s, fire-adapted ecosystems had become established
in the Piedmont.
As colonists continued to move into the area, more land was converted to
farming. However, after the Civil War many of the farms were in poor conditions
and highly eroded and they were abandoned. The federal government began initiatives that
attempted to halt the rate of erosion and restore forest communities. Part of the
reforestation effort included fire prevention, which lasted until the 1950’s.
Today, prescribed burning is used widely for fuel reduction by private
industrial companies and government agencies. However, 71 percent of the 29
million acres of commercial forest land in the Piedmont is owned by
non-industrial private landowners. These owners do not have the resources or the
desire to use fuel reduction burning. Fuels have built since the reforestation period
of 1910 through 1940 and have reached dangerous levels.
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