FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Cetraria islandica | Iceland Moss 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Cetraria islandica is destroyed by fire [27].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
In black spruce (Picea mariana)/feathermoss (Pleurozium
schreberi)-Cladonia stands in Alaska, C. islandica was present in
unburned controls but was not found on burned or fireline sites 9 years
after a fire [37].  Cetraria islandica did not survive light or severe
burning in the Wickersham Dome Fire near Fairbanks, Alaska.  On severely
burned black spruce sites, C. islandica was not present in the first 3
years following the fire, although it had control plot frequencies of 60
percent [39].  Cover and frequency percentages on burned mesic black
sites in interior Alaska follow [15]:
                       
                         Years since fire     cover      frequency      
_________________________________________________________________________
Newly burned                   0-1              0            0
Moss/herb                      1-5            >0.5          1.0
Tall shrub/sapling             5-30             0            0
Dense tree                    30-55           >0.5         19.0
Mixed hardwood/spruce         56-90           >0.5          8.0
Spruce                        91-200+         >0.5          6.0

Johnson [22], however, states that C. islandica is present in the first
years following fire in open and closed black spruce, white spruce
(Picea glauca), and jack pine (Pinus banksiana) stands in the Northwest
Territories, Canada.  It is present throughout seral stages and persists
for 200 to 250 years.
 


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Lichens often serve as an initial point of ignition in woodlands and
tundra and have an essential role in the spread of fire.  Lichens dry
rapidly during periods of low relative humidity because of their absence
of roots, water storage tissue, and low resistance to water loss.  Dry
lichens resemble dead litter more than live tissue in their
susceptibility to fire.  Continuous lichen mats present an uninterrupted
surface along which fire spreads.  Lichen mats typically accumulate tree
and shrub litter which adds to flammability [5].

Destruction of forage lichens may have an immediate effect on the winter
range of caribou.  Lichens may take 70 to 100 years to regain former
composition and abundance [31].  However, some studies indicate that
fire may increase lichen cover, especially where a thick moss carpet has
developed [41].  In the northern boreal lichen belt, lichen forage may
be increased by burning sphagnum peatlands, black spruce muskegs, sandy
black spruce stands, or tundra heaths.  Fires on these sites result in
lichen stands in some 40 to 50 years.  Because black spruce and mosses
regenerate more slowly than lichen on these sites, good lichen growth
persists for at least 100 years [3].  Light-severity burning has been
suggested as a method of improving reindeer range in Scandinavia [41].

Related categories for Species: Cetraria islandica | Iceland Moss