• FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS
• POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY

FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS:

Rocky Mountain maple occurs as a major component or dominant in seral shrubfields in the northern Rockies. These shrubfields result from canopy removal by repeated severe fires [55,58,63,105,113,135,139,179,196,227,288,329,337]. Seral shrubfields have also been maintained with prescribed fire [184]. A lack of seed combined with increased soil temperatures and moisture stress inhibit tree regeneration and maintain the shrubfields. Fuels in persistent shrubfields consist primarily of the shrubs themselves with little large downed woody material and low litter amounts; in one study conducted in northern Idaho, fuel loading averaged 19.7 tons/acre. Persistent shrubfields may burn in any season; if fuels are continuous and dry, spring fires spread readily, and in summer, hot and dry conditions are exacerbated by nighttime inversions [288].

Fire regimes for plant communities and ecosystems in which Rocky Mountain maple occurs are summarized below. For further information regarding fire regimes and fire ecology of communities and ecosystems where Rocky Mountain maple is found, see the "Fire Ecology ad Adaptations" section of the FEIS species summary for the plant community or ecosystem dominants listed below.

POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY [304]:

Related categories for SPECIES: Acer glabrum | Rocky Mountain Maple