FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Betula glandulosa | Bog Birch 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
In the northwestern United States bog birch typically occupies wetland
sites which burn infrequently.  Many wetland sites cannot carry fires
until late in the fall due to the high moisture content of the soil and
associated vegetation [7,29].  When aboveground plant parts of bog birch
are killed by fire, they often sprout from the base of the stem [34,40].
Information on the importance of off-site windblown seed revegetating
burned areas is lacking.  However, some seeds from nearby plants
probably reach burned sites.

In the Alaska taiga, bog birch is found on poorly drained and permafrost
underlain sites occupied primarily by black spruce stands, muskegs, and
bogs.  These types are the most widespread in Alaska and burn the most
frequently [55,59].  Most black spruce stands burn at least every 100
years [14].  Fires in black spruce usually kill the overstory trees and
consume most of the aboveground vegetation [56].


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

Related categories for Species: Betula glandulosa | Bog Birch