Controlled Burn of Rattleweed Strengthens Partnership, Helps Rare Plant

A controlled burn of underbrush conducted Wednesday by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Georgia Southern University (GSU), and Rayonier will benefit the growth of one of Georgia’s rarest plants, and strengthen the partnership between three parties actively interested in sustainable forestry.

The prescribed burn covered several acres of timberland near Jesup. Rayonier owns the timberland, which is home to the endangered hairy rattleweed (Baptisia arachnifera), also known as wooly wild indigo.

Hairy rattleweed is found nowhere in the world except in two Georgia counties, Wayne and Brantley. The greenish-gray perennial is a legume, and is recognizable by the dense cobweb-like hairs that cover it. The DNR has tracked an 80 percent decline in hairy rattleweed populations in Georgia since monitoring began in 1986. Presently, the plant is not found on public land in either county, meaning that the plant’s survival is dependent on the continued good stewardship of private landowners like Rayonier to ensure its existence.

Although the plant’s native habitat is open pine flatwoods with seasonally wet, sandy soils, it sometimes persists in open areas along roads and powerlines. Early research indicates hairy rattleweed also does especially well in recently burned areas.

“Currently we are seeing big flowering plants but no seedlings. The thought is that seeds may need fire to germinate, or soil conditions that may be provided by fire,” said Dr. Lissa Leege, associate professor of plant ecology and the new director of the Office of Sustainability for Georgia Southern University’s College of Science and Technology. Leege initially proposed the burn to the DNR, which funded the burn as part of a continuing study of the effects of fire on the rare plant.

Rayonier, a global forest products company based in Jacksonville, Fla., has long supported the DNR in efforts to conserve rare and endangered species. As timberland owner or manager for nearly 800,000 Georgia acres (including 47,500 acres in Wayne and 24,600 acres in Brantley counties), Rayonier carefully monitors their timberlands for species of special interest. Their foresters are well versed in spotting unique wildlife and plant species, including the hairy rattleweed.

“A good deal of research has been done on the effects of fire as related to timber regeneration,” said Larry Davis, director of forest resources for the company’s Eastern region. “In this case, a controlled fire has been used to mimic conditions that might occur in nature, to track the effect on a specific plant’s lifecycle. It is critical research that will help our foresters understand how to better protect this rare species, and continue to promote conservation of native biological diversity in Georgia.”

Leege, who holds a doctorate in biology, said she is “delighted to be a part of a collaboration between the Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Southern University and Rayonier. Working together to determine management practices for an endangered plant that occurs primarily on timberland is exactly the type of collaboration that is needed to inform sustainable practices that allow for both a healthy environment and a healthy economy.”

The DNR’s interagency burn crew includes representatives from The Nature Conservancy and Georgia Forestry Commission, who also participated in Wednesday’s burn.

The Nongame Conservation Section of the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division works to conserve the state’s native diversity of wild animals, plants and habitats through education, research and management. The section conducts and funds studies, identifies and acquires critical habitats, implements species restoration programs, provides grants for watchable wildlife projects, catalogues occurrences of rare plants, animals and natural communities, and offers help to landowners interested in managing their property for nongame. Nongame Conservation does not receive state appropriations, relying instead on grants, donations and fund-raisers such as nongame license plate sales and a state income tax check-off. More at www.georgiawildlife.com.

Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., Rayonier is a leading international forest products company with three core businesses: Timber, Real Estate and Performance Fibers. The company owns, leases or manages 2.6 million acres of timber and land in the United States and New Zealand. The company’s real estate holdings include approximately 200,000 acres in the fast-growing counties along Interstate 95 between Savannah, Georgia, and Daytona Beach, Florida. Rayonier is structured as a real estate investment trust. More at www.rayonier.com.