FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Ceanothus foliosus | Waveyleaf Ceanothus 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Moderate fire kills waveyleaf ceanothus [11].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Waveyleaf ceanothus regenerates by fire-stimulated germination of seed
stored in the soil [11,12,24,29].  Seedling establishment is always more
successful following a fall burn, which allows the seed a timely period
of overwinter stratification [14,22].  With spring burns, sprouting
species become established before waveyleaf ceanothus seeds can
overwinter and germinate.  Even under ideal conditions, seedling
mortality is high [12,20].  From postfire years 1 to 3, the seedlings
must compete with herbaceous as well as sprouting species.  By postfire
years 5 to 10, surviving waveyleaf ceanothus plants have usually
established codominance with other chaparral brush.  After about 35 to
40postfire years, waveyleaf ceanothus will be displaced by taller
chaparral brush species until the next fire cycle [20].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Grazing:  A prescribed fire, followed by second fire prior to maturation
of the seed crop, can reduce or eliminate waveyleaf ceanothus from a
pasture.  Hedrick [11] found waveyleaf ceanothus was eliminated from a
Lakeport, California, pasture that was reburned 3 years after an initial
fire.

Wildlife considerations:  Periodic burning can increase production of
waveyleaf ceanothus for deer browse.  Open shrubland areas created by
burning small patches of land within a chaparral community creates
extremely favorable deer habitat and increases the population of
waveyleaf ceanothus [4].  To maximize wavyleaf ceanothus growth, burns
should be carried out in late fall and conducted at intervals of 10 to
15 years to allow seedlings time to mature and replenish the seedbank.
Managers recommend burning 5 to 10 acre (2-4 ha) patches and providing
as much edge effect as possible to maximize value to deer.  Waveyleaf
ceanothus can persist much longer in a chaparral community that has been
opened up in this manner because it is not shaded out by taller species
[4].

Related categories for Species: Ceanothus foliosus | Waveyleaf Ceanothus