patrickbdevaney/mia9 · Datasets at Hugging Face

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reach an agreement with fire crews at ENP to allow them to burn county properties have stalled.
The EEL program should investigate the use of private contractors to implement an effective fire
management program (see also Part I, Section 5.2.1). Several companies in Florida provide this
service and their use in Miami-Dade County should be encouraged. Costs of using private
contractors may be much higher than using FDOF, but the absence of fires will result in
increasing hardwood removal costs, decreasing habitat quality, and increasing threat of
damaging wildfires.
4.6.4 Alternatives to Prescribed Burning
If the application of prescribed fire is absolutely impossible, there are several alternatives that are
available, although less desirable. These options include grazing, herbicide application, and
mechanical treatment. Grazing, such as by goats, has the disadvantage of introducing trampling
effects, nutrients from feces, and possible spread of exotic pest plant seeds. Both herbicide
application and mechanical treatments have the disadvantage of requiring that dead woody
material be removed from the site following treatment to limit the amount of decomposing
vegetation that would create organic soils. Even with physical removal after treatment, organic
matter from all plants on the site will eventually accumulate, leaving an organic soil, and thereby
reducing diversity of native herbs and potentially introducing invasive species. Physical removal
after treatment can also cause disturbances. In addition, none of these techniques replicate a
fire’s ability to return nutrients to the soil for short periods of time, a process that is critical to
many pine rockland plant species. These alternative techniques, as opposed to prescribed
burning, require a significantly greater labor commitment from personnel and come at a
significant ecological cost.
4.7 Management after Tropical Cyclones
As discussed in 2.6.2 and 3.6.2, tropical cyclones, including tropical storms and hurricanes, can
break or topple pine trees, make pine trees susceptible to pest insect outbreaks, and defoliate or
damage understory hardwoods. Storms can also blow manmade debris into pine rocklands,
including large items such as shipping containers and boats, which can damage vegetation and
soils. In addition to these direct effects, post-storm impacts from people can also be considerable,
including dumping, habitat clearing, and establishment of campgrounds or temporary homes.
Management Policy
Post-storm evaluations shall be conducted at all pine rockland EEL sites to determine the
extent and severity of damage to vegetation, wildlife, and structures. After inspection, an
action plan shall be developed to mitigate any impacts caused by the event.
EEL Program, Management Plan, Part II – Pine Rockland (DRAFT) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Page 40
Establishment of post storm security should be a top priority, including temporary erection of
fences, gates, and signs. If existing signs are destroyed, inexpensive, temporary “no dumping”
signs should be installed liberally around property perimeters. Sites should be inspected regularly
for dumping and trespassing.
Maintenance of a sparse pine canopy, as discussed in Section 4.3.1, will limit outbreaks of pest
insects, including Ips beetles, following storms. If infestations do begin, trees can be protected by
the application of Onyx, a bark-adhering formulation of bifenthrin that is applied to bark.
Infested trees should be cut down and sprayed with Onyx. If other chemicals are available for
this use, they can be tried as well.
4.8 Hydrological Restoration
Pine rocklands are upland communities but have been stressed by a lowered water table, for
example, in recovery from wind damage or fires. Though it is unlikely that any small scale, site
specific project, could occur to remedy this problem, large scale restoration would be very
beneficial to stressed pine rocklands. While such large scale restoration projects are not feasible
for the EEL program to accomplish alone, EEL would support and partner with any existing or
proposed restoration plans that would attempt to elevate water tables closer to historic levels.
Water levels that re-hydrate adjacent wetlands would be very advantageous for the adjacent pine
rocklands.
4.9 Soil Management
Pine rockland soils are naturally nutrient poor. However, successional changes lead to changes in
the soil. In the absence of fire, hardwoods invade pine rockland habitat, resulting in inhibition of
pine regeneration. As hardwoods invade, accumulation of organic matter in the soils and
increased shading results in an increase in soil moisture, which inhibits fires that maintain the
pine rockland community.
Because pine rockland soils are naturally nutrient poor, proper ecosystem management
(particularly burning) will maintain the low fertility of pine rockland soils. Accumulation of
organic matter increase the nutrient levels and favor the invasion of pine rockland habitat by
hardwoods. Winter backing burns can be used to reduce the levels of organic matter in the soil of
those sites where the accumulation is already higher than desirable.
Direct use of fertilizers and other nutrient applications are forbidden. Inputs from off-site nutrient
sources that migrate into pine rocklands should be prevented and controlled in case they are
Management Policy
Soil on pine rockland EEL sites shall be managed by prescribed burning. Direct use of
fertilizers and other nutrient applications are forbidden on any pine rockland EEL site.
Management Policy
The EEL program will support any large scale restoration project which would be
beneficial to the hydrological restoration of pine rockland EEL sites.
EEL Program, Management Plan, Part II – Pine Rockland (DRAFT) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Page 41
occurring. Source reduction of nutrients might be needed to reduce edge-of-field and leaching
from neighboring agricultural areas (see Part I, Section 5.2.5).
4.10 Cultural Resources
Cultural resources on pine rockland EEL sites should be managed in accordance with the
management policy for all Miami-Dade County EEL preserves. Please refer to Part I, Section 3.3
of this management plan for details about management of cultural resources on EEL sites.
4.11 Pollution Control
Generally, the goal of source reduction to control pollutants applies to all pine rockland EEL
sites in the same manner as it does for all other EEL sites. Please refer to Sections 5.2.5 and 5.4.3
in Part I of this management plan for management and contingency management of pollutants in
and around EEL preserves.
4.12 Landscaping Considerations
Landscaping adjacent to pine rocklands should be done to minimize the threat of invasive exotic
plants and also native plant species that could become maintenance problems in the ecosystem.
No plant species listed by the FLEPPC as Category I or II (Appendix C) should be planted on
EEL sites. Exotic plant species that can naturalize, even those not listed by FLEPPC, should not
be planted on EEL sites. Lists of exotic species that naturalize in South Florida can be found
online at www.regionalconservation.org in the Floristic Inventory of South Florida database, or
at www.plantatlas.usf.edu/, the Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants. Cultivated trees that are
FLEPPC listed or that naturalize should be removed from EEL sites where they are already
present.
Native hardwood species that may invade pine rocklands should not be used, including live oak,
wild tamarind, gumbo limbo, and others. Where already cultivated on EEL sites, their removal
should be considered.
Management Policy
All landscaping that occurs adjacent to pine rockland EEL sites should avoid exotic

reach an agreement with fire crews at ENP to allow them to burn county properties have stalled.

The EEL program should investigate the use of private contractors to implement an effective fire

management program (see also Part I, Section 5.2.1). Several companies in Florida provide this

service and their use in Miami-Dade County should be encouraged. Costs of using private

contractors may be much higher than using FDOF, but the absence of fires will result in

increasing hardwood removal costs, decreasing habitat quality, and increasing threat of

damaging wildfires.

4.6.4 Alternatives to Prescribed Burning

If the application of prescribed fire is absolutely impossible, there are several alternatives that are

available, although less desirable. These options include grazing, herbicide application, and

mechanical treatment. Grazing, such as by goats, has the disadvantage of introducing trampling

effects, nutrients from feces, and possible spread of exotic pest plant seeds. Both herbicide

application and mechanical treatments have the disadvantage of requiring that dead woody

material be removed from the site following treatment to limit the amount of decomposing

vegetation that would create organic soils. Even with physical removal after treatment, organic

matter from all plants on the site will eventually accumulate, leaving an organic soil, and thereby

reducing diversity of native herbs and potentially introducing invasive species. Physical removal

after treatment can also cause disturbances. In addition, none of these techniques replicate a

fire’s ability to return nutrients to the soil for short periods of time, a process that is critical to

many pine rockland plant species. These alternative techniques, as opposed to prescribed

burning, require a significantly greater labor commitment from personnel and come at a

significant ecological cost.

4.7 Management after Tropical Cyclones

As discussed in 2.6.2 and 3.6.2, tropical cyclones, including tropical storms and hurricanes, can

break or topple pine trees, make pine trees susceptible to pest insect outbreaks, and defoliate or

damage understory hardwoods. Storms can also blow manmade debris into pine rocklands,

including large items such as shipping containers and boats, which can damage vegetation and

soils. In addition to these direct effects, post-storm impacts from people can also be considerable,

including dumping, habitat clearing, and establishment of campgrounds or temporary homes.

Management Policy

Post-storm evaluations shall be conducted at all pine rockland EEL sites to determine the

extent and severity of damage to vegetation, wildlife, and structures. After inspection, an

action plan shall be developed to mitigate any impacts caused by the event.

EEL Program, Management Plan, Part II – Pine Rockland (DRAFT) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Page 40

Establishment of post storm security should be a top priority, including temporary erection of

fences, gates, and signs. If existing signs are destroyed, inexpensive, temporary “no dumping”

signs should be installed liberally around property perimeters. Sites should be inspected regularly

for dumping and trespassing.

Maintenance of a sparse pine canopy, as discussed in Section 4.3.1, will limit outbreaks of pest

insects, including Ips beetles, following storms. If infestations do begin, trees can be protected by

the application of Onyx, a bark-adhering formulation of bifenthrin that is applied to bark.

Infested trees should be cut down and sprayed with Onyx. If other chemicals are available for

this use, they can be tried as well.

4.8 Hydrological Restoration

Pine rocklands are upland communities but have been stressed by a lowered water table, for

example, in recovery from wind damage or fires. Though it is unlikely that any small scale, site

specific project, could occur to remedy this problem, large scale restoration would be very

beneficial to stressed pine rocklands. While such large scale restoration projects are not feasible

for the EEL program to accomplish alone, EEL would support and partner with any existing or

proposed restoration plans that would attempt to elevate water tables closer to historic levels.

Water levels that re-hydrate adjacent wetlands would be very advantageous for the adjacent pine

rocklands.

4.9 Soil Management

Pine rockland soils are naturally nutrient poor. However, successional changes lead to changes in

the soil. In the absence of fire, hardwoods invade pine rockland habitat, resulting in inhibition of

pine regeneration. As hardwoods invade, accumulation of organic matter in the soils and

increased shading results in an increase in soil moisture, which inhibits fires that maintain the

pine rockland community.

Because pine rockland soils are naturally nutrient poor, proper ecosystem management

(particularly burning) will maintain the low fertility of pine rockland soils. Accumulation of

organic matter increase the nutrient levels and favor the invasion of pine rockland habitat by

hardwoods. Winter backing burns can be used to reduce the levels of organic matter in the soil of

those sites where the accumulation is already higher than desirable.

Direct use of fertilizers and other nutrient applications are forbidden. Inputs from off-site nutrient

sources that migrate into pine rocklands should be prevented and controlled in case they are

Management Policy

Soil on pine rockland EEL sites shall be managed by prescribed burning. Direct use of

fertilizers and other nutrient applications are forbidden on any pine rockland EEL site.

Management Policy

The EEL program will support any large scale restoration project which would be

beneficial to the hydrological restoration of pine rockland EEL sites.

EEL Program, Management Plan, Part II – Pine Rockland (DRAFT) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Page 41

occurring. Source reduction of nutrients might be needed to reduce edge-of-field and leaching

from neighboring agricultural areas (see Part I, Section 5.2.5).

4.10 Cultural Resources

Cultural resources on pine rockland EEL sites should be managed in accordance with the

management policy for all Miami-Dade County EEL preserves. Please refer to Part I, Section 3.3

of this management plan for details about management of cultural resources on EEL sites.

4.11 Pollution Control

Generally, the goal of source reduction to control pollutants applies to all pine rockland EEL

sites in the same manner as it does for all other EEL sites. Please refer to Sections 5.2.5 and 5.4.3

in Part I of this management plan for management and contingency management of pollutants in

and around EEL preserves.

4.12 Landscaping Considerations

Landscaping adjacent to pine rocklands should be done to minimize the threat of invasive exotic

plants and also native plant species that could become maintenance problems in the ecosystem.

No plant species listed by the FLEPPC as Category I or II (Appendix C) should be planted on

EEL sites. Exotic plant species that can naturalize, even those not listed by FLEPPC, should not

be planted on EEL sites. Lists of exotic species that naturalize in South Florida can be found

online at www.regionalconservation.org in the Floristic Inventory of South Florida database, or

at www.plantatlas.usf.edu/, the Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants. Cultivated trees that are

FLEPPC listed or that naturalize should be removed from EEL sites where they are already

present.

Native hardwood species that may invade pine rocklands should not be used, including live oak,

wild tamarind, gumbo limbo, and others. Where already cultivated on EEL sites, their removal

should be considered.

Management Policy

All landscaping that occurs adjacent to pine rockland EEL sites should avoid exotic