S.C. One plot was burned in August 1980 and another plot in January 1981 in two adjacent areas, and a control plot was not burned. Researchers made post-burn assessments at intervals of one, seven and 11 years after the fire in each of the three plots. Among these, oaks were most often killed. But the smaller the tree is when burned, the more likely it is to resprout. This was true especially for turkey oaks and sand post oaks.
Fire makes nutrient and moisture conditions more variable in sandhills.
This, in turn, results in more varied ground cover after the fire and increases biodiversity. Prescribed burning in the summertime is a better management strategy for sandhills. Summer burns produce hotter fires, which are more similar to lightning-induced fires, and create a broader range of new environmental conditions in which plants can get established. The increase in plant biodiversity in burned sandhills is cyclic. Plant species changes in the habitat slow about seven years after a prescribed burn.