183 Operating Farms and Timberlands More Efficiently A GIS-powered environmental digital twin forms the basis of this work. It’s used to manage the ecosystem and dig into the details about how the forest behaves with and without fire. The twin helped Tall Timbers scientists unlock insights about how the pines regenerate and to identify the ideal fire frequency to enhance biodiversity. It’s also helping to answer research questions about the distribution of soil chemicals, multiple plant species, and ecosystem carbon. Some scientists speculated that new patches of longleaf pine grew where there was the most sunlight. Others hypothesized that root competition caused new trees to grow in dense clusters. However, with the digital twin, researchers could study the data and find patterns of trees and fire spread that determined the cause and effect. “We were able to map where trees were regenerating to see that unburned patches are where regeneration was occurring,” Robertson said. Creating Habitat and Reducing Fire Hazards In Florida, 90 percent of fires are prescribed at intervals intended to match the natural, historical patterns of longleaf pine communities across their entire range. In the past, lightning strikes were a common cause of fires. Indigenous North American Tribes would also set fires, aware of the many benefits. Over millions of years, the landscape has grown dependent on fire. The digital twin of longleaf pine communities has helped Tall Timbers understand the benefits of fire and pass this knowledge along to the country’s wildland firefighters. Now, Tall Timbers hosts the National Interagency Prescribed Fire Training Center, where federal, state, local, and Tribal government agencies and other organizations share fire knowledge and receive training on how, where, and when to burn. The understory vegetation in pine communities grows quickly, and if fire isn’t used at least every three years, the fuel load may become too dense for most native plant and animal species. Without fire, land managers would need to use chainsaws to thin the forest, which is much more complicated and expensive. “We sometimes use the analogy of mowing your grass to help people understand these systems,” Robertson said. “The trees survive the fire. The grass and the woody plants of the understory are mostly just top killed by fire and re-sprout.” Fire spreads across the Wade Tract old-growth longleaf pine savanna near Thomasville, Georgia. (Photo courtesy of Tall Timbers)
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