IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT:

Fire kills foxtail chess [32].

DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT:

No entry

PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE:

Red brome establishes from on- or off-site seed sources following fire [58].

DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE:

Red brome showed dramatic increases in the Sonoran Desert following prescribed burns in a desert scrub of paloverde, buckhorn cholla (Opuntia acanthocarpa), and triangle bursage. Results are summarized below [53]:

Cover (%) within open microhabitat:

Control 1985	Control 1986	Prefire 1985	12 postfire months (1985)	24 postfire months (1985)*	36 postfire months (1986)*
1.02	0.48	3.56	7.22	11.81	12.89

Cover (%) in shrub microhabitat:

Control 1985	Control 1986	Prefire 1985	12 postfire months (1985)	24 postfire months (1985)*	36 postfire months (1986)*
0.68	4.77	7.42	9.17	11.67	26.61

*Coverage data taken from areas burned in 1983

Davis and Hickson [27] evaluated postfire vegetation development within coastal chaparral of California. Past fires in the area studied was either accidental or planned burns. Areas sampled ranged from 1 to 50 years since fire. Overall, red brome showed greater frequency of occurrence within oak plots than in shrub plots. Red brome was an important invader of chamise chaparral in the 3rd and 5th postfire seasons, slowly disappearing with increased brush cover. Before fires, red brome was restricted to trails, firebreaks, and openings [40].

Red brome was a dominant species on western and southern slopes (330 feet (100 m)) the first 2 years after fire in California coastal sage scrub. Postfire annual precipitation was 1 to 5 times greater than mean annual precipitation [46].

Fall burns: Red brome and California buckwheat were dominant species 5 years after a September wildfire in a 7-year-old rockrose (Cistus spp.) field, originally planted from nursery grown seedlings. The wildfire occurred on a 30 to 35 degree north facing slope at 2,700 feet (820 m). [56].

Hansen [37] observed postfire coverage of red brome after fall prescribed burns in the Tulare Basin of California. Seasonal precipitation directly influenced red brome postfire response. One-year postfire cover of red brome was equal to or greater than control plot coverage when precipitation was below average and the majority of precipitation occurred in the fall (September-November). In contrast, red brome presence was greatly reduced in the 1st and 2nd postfire growing season if greater than normal precipitation occurred in fall and spring. Repeated burning had the greatest negative effect on red brome numbers, resulting in large decreases even in wet years.

Spring burns: Cave [24] monitored 1- and 2-year postfire vegetation response in the Sonoran Desert after a 12 June 1981 controlled burn and a 26 April 1980 wildfire. Sites were at 1,500 feet (450 m) on a paloverde (Cercidium microphyllum)-cactus (Opuntia spp.)-triangle bursage association. Red brome density was reduced by 96 to 98% in the 1st postfire year compared to unburned and prefire controlled burn sites, respectively. Biomass was reduced by 70 and 65%, with cover showing 86 and 80% reductions. Precipitation prior to and during the 1982 growing season was less than precipitation in 1981.

Red brome dominated blackbrush areas 1 year after a "hot" spring wildfire [9].

FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:

O'Leary and Westman [58] suggest off-site seed as a source of red brome within early postfire coastal sage scrub communities.

Stipa spp. have successfully competed with red brome within perennial grasslands of Camp Pendleton, California, subjected to annual burning [5].

Shrublands: Within the Mojave Desert of Arizona, red brome prefers disturbed sites, especially areas where shrubs have been removed by fire. Red brome readily invades blackbrush communities susceptible to fire. Once established red brome increases fire frequency by enhancing the potential for start and spread [10]. Red brome shows vigorous vegetative growth in blackbrush communities where shrubs have been removed by fire. Red brome is prominent the first 2 to 3 postfire years in blackbrush communities, after which perennial grasses and shrubs dominate [9].

Wildfires in California chaparral occur during hot dry summer months. Prescribed burning usually occurs during winter months, resulting in low-intensity burns. Red brome is a dominant species following winter fires. Temperatures of low-intensity winter fires are not high enough to kill red brome seeds [32].

Desert:  Fire spread is extensive and rapid when red brome is codominant with Schismus spp. in native perennial interspaces of the Mojave Desert. Data for experimental fires conducted in August of 1995 are presented below. Fine fuels are presented in kg/ha, dominant annuals are those with > 25% relative cover [20].

Site	Beneath canopy fuel	Interspace fuel	Dominant annuals, beneath canopy	Dominant annuals, interspace	Interspace fire spread (m/minute)	Area burned (% of 2.25 ha)
Central Mojave	300	25	Bromus-Schismus	Schismus	0	0
Southern Mojave	700	200	Bromus	Bromus-Schismus	12	50 (continuous)
Western Mojave	800	100	Bromus-Schismus	Schismus	1	50 (patchy)

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Related categories for SPECIES: Bromus madritensis | Foxtail Chess

• Introductory
• Distribution and Occurrence
• Value and Use
• Botanical and Ecological Characteristics
• Fire Ecology
• Fire Effects
• References
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