Ep15 FIRE! Our Longleaf Pine Prescribed Burn - The Helmstead

Описание: The Helmstead: A video series chronicling the complete restoration and rebuilding of an original 1850's Pioneer Log Cabin in rural Alabama.

In Episode 15 we take a short break from cabin building to observe our incredible foresters Caleb and Doug while they conduct a permitted Longleaf seedling prescribed burn which is required every 2-3 years by all Longleaf pine conservation programs in Alabama.

It may seem odd, but forest fires are actually necessary and beneficial for the native Longleaf ecosystem in the southern US where, before European settlement, there were 90 million acres of Longleaf that had been adapted to common forest fires usually set by thunder and lightening storms and, some say, even by the native Americans themselves to help manage the landscape for wildlife habitat.

These common fires once promoted a vast, old growth Longleaf Pine grasslands that, in turn fostered one of the most diverse biological habitats in the world including: the gopher tortoise, red-cockaded woodpeckers, indigo snakes, pitcher plants, sawgrass and many other unique species - some now endangered.

For more about the native Longleaf pine ecosystem in the southern US, you can watch this excellent video:

   • LONGLEAF: THE HEART OF PINE  

We are trying to do our part in restoring not only the cabin, but the landscape around it too.

Next in Episode 16: We return to cabin building and it is BIG LOG moving day!

Background Audio: Long Road by Evert Zeevalkink