FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Adenostoma sparsifolium | Red Shank 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Fire top-kills red shank [15,17,31].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Red shank sprouts vigorously following fire [15].  Nearly 100 percent of
red shank on the Sky Oaks Field Station, San Diego County, sprouted
following prescribed winter fire [31].  Red shank dees not establish well
from seed after fire [3,15].

A prescribed December fire in Chihuahua Valley, San Diego County,
top-killed red shank, but did little damage to red shank lignotubers and
fine root hairs.  Mean surface soil temperature was 662 degrees
Fahrenheit (350 deg C).  Red shank fine root hair density in the burn
site was higher at postfire year 1 than on an adjacent unburned area.
Sprouts grew an average length of 4.8 inches (12 cm) per month in the
first postfire growing season.  Die-back of fine root hairs occurred
with the onset of summer drought, but sprouts continued to grow through
fall [28].

A study on red shank community structure in the long-term absence of
fire, conducted in Chiuahua Valley, San Diego County, showed that basal
coverage of red shank was 29.22 square feet per acre (6.79 sq m/ha) and
density was 368 plants per acre (920/ha) at postfire year 66 [24,25] .


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Soil under red shank plants in red shank-chamise chaparral showed a
significant decrease in soil organic matter following prescribed
February fire.  Postfire changes in nutrient levels of soil under red
shank were detailed [4].

The caloric content of red shank leaves and stems is high, but not as
high as chamise.  Caloric content of red shank foliage by fuel diameter
class size is available [46].

Elements of consideration when developing a fire prescription for
southern California chaparral are available in the literature [13,14].

Related categories for Species: Adenostoma sparsifolium | Red Shank