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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants
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FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Achnatherum thurberianum
| Thurber Needlegrass
Thurber needlegrass is classified as "moderately" resistant [76], but depending on the season of burn, phenology, and fire severity, this perennial bunchgrass is moderately to severely damaged by fire [10,31,62,87,97]. Aboveground vegetation of needlegrass is often consumed by fire [97]. The distribution of fuels within the plant influences the severity and length of burn time. Fire in the many leafy vegetative culms can promote burning beneath the soil surface, producing subsurface charring [97]. The abundant dead material which is sometimes present with Thurber needlegrass contributes to fire damage regardless of season [97]. Postburn regeneration usually occurs by seed [41]. Thurber needlegrass has also adapted to fire by regenerating by fire-enhanced flowering [87].
Fire regimes for plant communities in which Thurber needlegrass occurs are summarized below. Historic fire severities ranged from nonlethal understory fire in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) to stand-replacing fire in chaparral and sagebrush communities. For further information regarding fire regimes and fire ecology of communities where Thurber needlegrass is found, see the Fire Ecology and Adaptations section of the FEIS species summary for the plant community or ecosystem dominants.
| Community or Ecosystem |
Dominant Species |
Fire Return Interval Range in Years (mean) |
| Pacific ponderosa pine* |
Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa |
1-47 |
| interior ponderosa pine* |
P. ponderosa var. scopulorum |
2-10 |
| Colorado pinyon |
P. edulis |
10-49 |
| Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir* |
Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca |
25-100 [11] |
| coastal Douglas-fir* |
Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii |
95-242 [61,66] |
| California chaparral |
Adenostoma and/or Arctostaphylos spp. |
20-40 |
| California montane chaparral |
Ceanothus and/or Arctostaphylos spp. |
50-100 [11] |
| basin big sagebrush |
Artemisia tridentata var. tridentata |
12-43 [69] |
| Wyoming big sagebrush |
Artemisia tridentata var. wyomensis |
10-70 (40) [89,103] |
| curlleaf mountain-mahogany* |
Cercocarpus ledifolius |
13-1,350 [3,72] |
| mountain grasslands |
Pseudoroegneria spicata |
3-40 (10) [2] |
*fire return interval varies widely; trends in variation are noted in the species summary
Tussock graminoid
Secondary colonizer - off-site seed
Related categories for
SPECIES: Achnatherum thurberianum
| Thurber Needlegrass
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