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Plants that have thrived in the Pine Bush
over the years have done so because they have adapted to and rely on
fire for their evolution and growth. For example, the Pitch pine tree,
which is prevalent in the area, needs fire to unleash the seeds by
softening the resin that keeps the cone together. Also, the highly
flammable scrub oak tree sprouts many seeds after a fire.
In 1992, the Albany Pine Bush Commission
began its fire management program. Before development in the area,
natural fires occurred every eight to eleven years. Now prescribed burns
allow the preserve to maintain its natural habitat and reduce burnable
organic material. They also help discourage the infiltration of hardwood
trees that conflict with this habitat. The rare Karner blue butterfly
requires wild lupines for feeding during its caterpillar stage. Wild
lupine needs open clearings to grow, not a hardwood forest. Prescribed
fires help restore and maintain the delicate balance of conditions that
keep the Pine Bush ecosystem in tact.
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