Hurricane-fire interactions in coastal forests of the south: a review and hypothesis

The extent to which periodic wildfires, burning in increased forest fuels following severe hurricanes, influenced coastal plain forest ecosystems prior to European settlement is unknown. A review of the literature suggests that, in many forests, conditions after exceptionally strong hurricanes promote the occurrence of fires of higher than normal intensity. While post-hurricane fires have not been prevalent or widespread in recent times in the southern US, a credible line of reasoning plus observations from outside the US supports the hypothesis of a hurricane-fire interaction, particularly in the era before organized fire suppression. The drastic effects caused by strong hurricanes and subsequent fire is likely to have been a significant part of the long-term disturbance regime of many ecosystems. Due to their infrequent occurrence and the difficulties involved in their study, these effects have been overlooked, minimized, or ignored. The hypothesis is presented that a hurricane-fire interaction influenced vegetation in specific ways in the presettlement South. Further, the present-day absence of this process may in part account for the continuing decline of certain plant communities. Opportunities for large-scale restoration of declining communities and ecosystems exist in areas where extensive vegetation change has already come in the form of drastic natural disturbance, such as that caused by severe hurricanes. Land managers may be able to facilitate the long-term process of restoring diverse, fire-maintained ecosystems by using a regime of frequent prescribed fires in areas impacted by strong hurricanes.