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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants
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FIRE ECOLOGY
Koeleria macrantha
| Prairie Junegrass
Prairie Junegrass is reported as showing little or no damage [129] to moderate damage [126] from fire. Perennial grasses possess growing points insulated near or below the soil surface [129]. The small stature of prairie Junegrass and coarse textured foliage aid in protection of these meristimatic tissue areas [129]. Possessing coarsely textured foliage and a small clump size also limits the potential for fire damage [129]. Coarse grasses like prairie Junegrass burn quickly, transferring little heat below the soil surface [120]. As a member of eastern Oregon grasslands, prairie Junegrass is considered a superior fire-resistant perennial bunch grass [126].
Fire survival strategy for prairie Junegrass is based upon seed germination and residual plant survival [23]. The extent of damage or benefit imposed by fire is highly variable. Response can vary according to fire severity, physiological state of plant, soil moisture, and season of burn [23,101].
Fire regimes for plant communities in which prairie Junegrass occurs are summarized below. For further information regarding fire regimes and fire ecology of communities where prairie Junegrass is found, see 'Fire Ecology and Adaptations' section of the FEIS species summary for the plant community or ecosystem.
| Community or Ecosystem |
Dominant Species |
Fire Return Interval Range in Years (mean) |
| Pacific ponderosa pine* |
Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa |
1-47 [25] |
| interior ponderosa pine* |
P. ponderosa var. scopulorum |
2-200 [25] |
| Colorado pinyon |
P. edulis |
10-49 [25] |
| Mexican pinyon |
P. cembroides |
20-70 [115,116 |
| Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir* |
Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca |
25-100 [25] |
| coastal Douglas-fir* |
Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii |
40-240 [25,79,94] |
| quaking aspen (west of the Great Plains) |
Populus tremuloides |
7-100 [48,75] |
| oak-hickory |
Quercus-Carya spp. |
50-100 [1] |
| Texas savanna |
Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa |
< 10 [25] |
| California montane chaparral |
Ceanothus and/or Arctostaphylos spp. |
50-100 [25] |
| basin big sagebrush |
Artemisia tridentata var. tridentata |
12-43 [99] |
| mountain big sagebrush |
Artemisia tridentata var. vaseyana |
5-15 [127] |
| Wyoming big sagebrush |
Artemisia tridentata var. wyomingensis |
10-70 (40) [118,127] |
| mountain grasslands |
Pseudoroegneria spicata |
3-40 (10) [7] |
| plains grasslands |
Bouteloua gracilis and/or Buchloe dactyloides |
20-40 [25] |
| prairie |
Andropogon gerardii var. gerardii |
1-6 [66] |
Tussock graminoid
Caudex, growing points in soil
Secondary colonizer - on-site seed
Related categories for
Koeleria macrantha
| Prairie Junegrass
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