Nathanael Mooney, Campus Carrier staff writer

The Longleaf Pine Project is an effort to have a thriving Longleaf Pine ecosystem once again on Lavender Mountain. Those involved in the project use controlled burning to reduce hazardous fuels in the area and encourage open canopies. Controlled burns have many benefits for the ecosystem including reducing risk of wildfires, increasing the diversity of understory plants and allowing space for new species to flourish.

Longleaf Pines are more disease and pest resistant than other species of pine, and they thrive in fire-maintained environments. Many plant species in the area also require the intense temperature to drop their seeds and reproduce. Forest fires are inevitable, so without performing controlled burns, the fires that do occur would be incredibly destructive.

Dana Professor of Biology Martin Cipollini started the project. During his first years, Cipollini brought in his forest ecology class to make a management plan.

“I just decided to go up to these stands and start measuring and mapping trees as a part of that ecology class in around 1999.” Cipollini said. “That was ostensibly for the benefit of the students. It sort of benefited me professionally but, the idea was that this is something I can bring students to.” 

The management plan and other resources for the project can be located on the Longleaf Pine Project’s VikingWeb page. 

Many weeks of planning must come first before a burn can be considered. Groups such as the Georgia Forestry Commission and Berry College Land Resources are involved every step of the way, from signing the burn permits to being on the burn site.

Several students assist with the burns. Those on the burn team must be ready at a day’s notice. It is not until a day before that students know they will be on site. The students usually burn once a week, but they perform multiple if conditions are optimal.

Senior Dalton Brantley, a project assistant on the team, has worked on the project for two years and has been to many prescribed burns. 

“Typically, we plan to be there around 9:30 a.m. and we are usually there until around 3:00 p.m.,” Brantley said. “We are not allowed to put any fire on the ground after 3:00 p.m. per Georgia Forestry Commission regulations but usually we head back or patrol for a bit until 5:00 p.m.” 

Safety is a top priority. Everyone on site wears protective gear such as respirators, fire retardant suits, walkie-talkies, leather boots and gloves. Before a student can come to a burn, Cipollini requires they take the online portion of the basic wildland fire training course. Students are eased into the process and kept further back from the burn during their first time on site. A burn does not happen if the conditions are unsuitable. 

Most of the work that happens on the project is prep work. Only about 30% of the time on site is spent burning.

Junior Student Supervisor Anna Rose has spent several hours preparing the burn sites. She said that it is important to keep duff, layers of decaying organic material, from accumulating on the forest floor.

“There has been a lot of trouble in the past with us being able to burn on a regular interval, and if you avoid that then decaying material and duff build up too much under the trees,” Rose said. “Our job is to go out and rake all around the trees every year to prevent the duff layer from building up.”

The duff layer can still smolder while underground concealing any smoke, so it is crucial that the layer is kept maintained in any area that is marked to be burned. Other factors that influence if a burn is to occur include wind speed, wind direction and rain moisture. 

Students are also in charge of creating and monitoring fire-breaks. Even in areas where they are not doing any burns, students still keep watch for dead snags and anything else that could spread the fire unintentionally. 

While the work is physically exhausting, the team feels a strong connection to their work and many plan on using the experience in their careers after they leave Berry. In the Fall 2024 semester, Cipollini will be teaching a one credit hour course that will allow students to receive a prescribed fire certification.