The drastic decline of longleaf pine sandhills in the southeastern coastal plain creates a sense of urgency about conserving the remaining forests. It also brings forward the importance of learning to utilize longleaf pine ecosystems in a manner that is sustainable far into the future. The decline of these once widely scattered forests also highlights the need to restore badly degraded sandhills. Because of the small extent and fragmented nature of these forests, restoration will most likely become increasingly important for the conservation of this upland ecosystem. This is particularly true as succession to hardwood forests continues in isolated fragments, where the use of frequent fires as a restoration tool has been limited owing to high population density and urbanization. Although hexazinone can be an important precursor to prescribed fires, it cannot replace them: fire is necessary for longleaf pine and pineland threeawn regeneration. The utility of hexazinone for longleaf pine sandhill restoration has been shown in the case study described above. The herbicide not only facilitated the release of longleaf pine seedlings and pineland threeawn, but also aided in the reduction of scrub oak populations without damaging other woody and herbaceous vegetation. Our results agree with those of other researchers, indicating that woody plant communities are relatively unaltered following hexazinone application at similar rates.

Additional experiments must be conducted on application rates, scheduling and patterns of hexazinone application in order to refine this restoration technique. Until additional trials are completed, we suggest that forest managers use hexazinone rates ranging from 0.84 to 1.68 kg/ha. To reduce top-kill of pineland threeawn, the herbicide should not be sprayed directly on live plants. Broadcast applications of granular hexazinone should be avoided because they can damage the herbaceous plant layer.

In summary, the use of hexazinone rates between 0.84 and 1.68 kg/ha produced the desired result: enhanced longleaf pine sandhill restoration. We conclude that when applied discretely at the above rates, hexazinone can serve as an important vehicle for sandhill restoration. The appropriate use of this herbicide can increase longleaf pine seedling and pineland threeawn growth. At the same time, it can reduce scrub-oak seedling and mature plant populations without damaging important herbaceous plants.