FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Artemisia californica | California Sagebrush 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Fire Ecology:  Historical documentation of fire in coast sage scrub is
too sparse to allow for estimation of natural fire intervals of that
community.  The intervals vary widely.  Total area burned strongly
correlates with precipitation during the previous winter, with heaviest
burning occurring after wet years.  Fire is rare following drought [58].
Vogl [81] estimated an average fire interval of 20 years for
lightning-ignited fire in chaparral adjacent to coastal sage scrub.
Fire intensity is generally higher in coastal sage scrub than in seral
chaparral due to higher litter loading and the higher percentage of
terpenes in coastal sage scrub vegetation [22,50].  Fire intensity is
higher, however, in chaparral that has not burned for over 20 years
[58]. Average litterfall per annum in coastal sage scrub is 0.6 ounces
per square foot (194.1 g/sq m) [21].  Decomposition of the litter layer
is extrememly slow [74].  Fuel loadings vary from 3 to 10 tons per acre
(7-22 t/ha), 70 to 85 percent of which is typically consumed [23,65].

California sagebrush leaves are 15.6 percent ether extractives (ovendry
mass) [22].  Dead attached stems account for about 19 percent of total
aboveground biomass of mature shrubs [21].

Plant Adaptations:  California sagebrush establishes by seed and by
sprouting in postfire communities [89].  The breaking of dormancy of
more deeply-buried seeds by charred wood leachate is probably an
adaptation to fire [41].  Field studies of this germination response,
however, are lacking.  California sagebrush is classified as a weak
sprouter following burning of aboveground portions of the plant [50,91].


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Small shrub, adventitious-bud root crown
   Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)
   Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
   Secondary colonizer - off-site seed

Related categories for Species: Artemisia californica | California Sagebrush