Lighting a Match Archives - The Orianne Society

Caleb Goldsmith works to restore the area around this wetland - water, trees and shrubs in the background.

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Restoring Habitat Around Wetlands

ByCaleb Goldsmith
July 9, 2024

This month on Lighting a Match, Caleb is at the Longleaf Stewardship Center working to restore habitat around a wetland by eliminating some of the woody encroachment at the water’s edge. Learn how our land management team uses the different seasons, water levels, humidity, and wind direction to accomplish prescribed burns like this one.

Prescribed Burn with Heavy Fuels, with Caleb Goldsmith

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Prescribed Burn with Heavy Fuels

ByCaleb Goldsmith
May 14, 2024

This May on Lighting a Match, Caleb Goldsmith walks us through a prescribed burn in a fuel-heavy unit that has not been burned in two years. It is late in the burn season, and there is plenty of combustible plant matter, but Caleb shows us how it can be done safely with good results.

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Prescribed Burn at Night

ByCaleb Goldsmith
March 14, 2024

On Lighting a Match this month, Caleb Goldsmith walks us through a prescribed burn at night, where the calm nighttime conditions serve as a great training opportunity for our newest burn crew members.

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Restoring Longleaf Pine Habitat by Managing Duff Buildup

ByCaleb Goldsmith
February 13, 2024

Caleb Goldsmith and The Orianne Society burn team are working on private land this month, restoring a longleaf pine forest with a thick layer of duff buildup. Caleb shows us how it’s done – burning off the top layers of pine needles and leaves – without killing the trees.

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Burning Turkey Oak to Restore a Longleaf Sandhill

ByCaleb Goldsmith
January 24, 2024

This month on Lighting a Match, Caleb Goldsmith walks us through a prescribed burn prep on a private property that has a healthy Gopher Tortoise population. The Orianne Society burn team is working to clear 20-year-old growth turkey oak here to open up the canopy and restore wiregrass growth on this longleaf sandhill.

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Harvesting Grass Seed and the Tools We Use

ByCaleb Goldsmith
December 15, 2023

Caleb Goldsmith shows us the tools that we use to harvest native grass seeds – wiregrass, bluestem, and lopsided indian grass – for longleaf pine habitat restoration at The Orianne Society’s Longleaf Stewardship Center.

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Starting From Scratch

ByCaleb Goldsmith
October 13, 2023

This month on Lighting a Match, Caleb walks us through an overgrown and fire-suppressed area at The Orianne Society’s Longleaf Stewardship Center that has been clear cut, leaving little islands around the Gopher Tortoise burrows, and prepared for planting.

equipment maintenance for the fire season

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Equipment Maintenance

ByCaleb Goldsmith
September 5, 2023

This month on Lighting a Match, Caleb shows us all the work that goes into improving and maintaining equipment in preparation for the fire season.