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<br />Vegetative Recovery after Wildfire <br /> <br />Page 1 of9 <br /> <br />You are here: Home I Natural Resources Online I Fact Sheets <br /> <br />,'- <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />ll;; ~ ~~~Z\0XZXiW't~;,:'!;'.;"ti,"..., <br /> <br />no. 6.307 <br /> <br />Vegetative Recovery after Wildfire <br />\ <br /> <br />by R. Moench! <br /> <br />Quick Facts... <br /> <br />. The ability of a tree to withstand fire damage is based on the thickness of the bark, <br />rooting depth, needle length, bud size, and degree of scorch. <br />. Conifers are cone-bearing trees that reestablish only from available seed reserves. <br />Wind and wildlife aid in seed dispersal into the burned area. <br />. Fire often prepares a suitable seedbed by exposing mineral soil necessary for good <br />germination. <br />. Aspen is unique among Colorado forest trees in its ability to sprout new stems after <br />a fire. Many shrubs and grasses share this ability to resprout from under-ground <br />roots undamaged by fire. <br /> <br />Nature has equipped many plants to <br />recover quickly from fire. The root <br />systems of many plants run deep and <br />are often protected from lethal <br />temperatures. Once the above ground <br />stem is removed, roots are stimulated to <br />send up new shoots. The soil profile <br />may contain many dormant seeds <br />waiting for the right conditions to <br />germinate and grow. Some trees are so <br />adapted to fire that they rely upon it to <br />regenerate new stands. Pine cones of <br />some species will not open and release the seed until exposed to ttie heat of fire. Given <br />these adaptations to fire, recovery of many plants will occur, often rapidly. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />It's difficult to see the rebirth of a forest <br />after a devastating fire. The speed and <br />extent of recovery depends on the <br />severity of the fire, when it occurred, <br />and the plant community. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/NATRES/06307.html <br /> <br /> <br />In 2000, the Hi Meadow Fire, southwest of Denver, <br />caused extensive damage to the area's natura! <br />resources. <br /> <br />, 8/13/02 <br />