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The decline in rare plant populations and the decrease in size of their native ranges have led to escalating losses of biodiversity. A combination of shrub cutting and fire was applied to an endangered species "hot spot" in southern Rhode Island, USA to determine the effects of these treatments on a group of eight rare herbaceous plant species exposed to ever-increasing encroachment by tall shrubs. Shrub cutting and fire were also applied to a shrub-dominated area adjacent to the hot spot to determine if it was possible to promote establishment and growth of the rare plants in areas in which they were not found in abundance. My analyses focused on the three rare species that were found in greatest abundance within the rare plant area; Aletris farinosa, Platanthera ciliaris, and Polygala cruciata. Fire appeared to have a positive effect on the reproductive output of the endangered orchid Platanthera ciliaris; the mean density of inflorescences doubled from 0. 70 inflorescences/m 2 in 2005 to 1.41 inflorescences/m 2 in 2006 in plots that were burned. However, this difference was not statistically significant. Significant differences in vegetation characteristics were observed between plots in which rare plants were present and plots in which rare plants were absent. Platanthera and Aletris had negative relationships with woody plant cover, and positive relationships with herbaceous plant cover. The density of Aletris was significantly correlated with the density of Drosera sp. (r=0.73, P<0.001), a species indicative of disturbed, nutrient poor environments. Fire had no effect on the cover of woody plants within the rare plant area, however, fire did have an effect on the cover and height of woody plants in adjacent experimental sectors. In 2006, all combinations of shrub cutting and fire decreased the cover and height of woody plants in these sectors . No rare plants were found in the sector plots adjacent to the rare plant area, but the cut treatment applied to one of these sectors caused the rapid proliferation of the invasive woody vine Celastrus orbiculatus. The density of Celastrus was an order of magnitude higher in the cut sector than in the control. In an adjacent sector that was both cut and burned, the native shrub Rhus copallinum produced a similar rapid response to the treatment. Continued management must now focus on limiting the potential harmful impacts of Celastrus while promoting growth and establishment of the rare plants at the site. Acknowledgments I thank Peter Keller for data collection in 2002-2004. I also thank Chelsea Dion for her help with field sampling and site preparation in the summer of 2005, and Rick Enser for his assistance with plant identification in the summer of 2006. I thank James Heltshe for his help and advice on statistical analyses. Thanks to Suz.anne Paton , Charlie Vandermeor, and staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for providing the resources and support that made the burning and cutting manipulations for this study possible. I also thank Eric Morales for his assistance in excavating the scarified plots. Laura Meyerso°' Carol Tuomber, and Larry Englander provided helpful feedback and advice regarding this study. Finally, I thank Keith Killingbeck for his guidance and comments, which greatly improved this manuscript.

The Effects of Fire and Shrub Cutting on Rare and Endangered Plants in the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge