FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Comptonia peregrina | Sweetfern 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Fire can either reduce or increase the frequency of sweetfern [36].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
Plant composition was studied on the New Jersey Pine Barrens following
both wildfire and prescribed burning [4].  Sweetfern was not present on
the unburned control sites, but was found on burned sites the second and
third postfire years.  The conrol site had not been burned for more than
50 years.  Two other sites were burned 14 years and 16 years following
wildfire.  Sweetfern was not found on the 14-year-old site, but did
occur on the 16-year-old site the third postfire year [4].

Average frequencies of sweetfern were determined on pine barrens in
Wisconsin.  Two sites were subject to both wildfire and periodic
controlled burning.  Site One had not had wildfire for more than 4
decades.  Frequency of sweetfern on unburned plots of this site averaged
49 percent, while frequency on burned plots averaged 22 percent.  Site
Two had not experienced wildfire for more than 3 decades.  Average
frequency of sweetfern on unburned plots of Site Two was 73 percent,
while on burned plots it was 86 percent.  No fire history was given for
Site Three.  Sweetfern avergae frequency at this site was 41 percent on
unburned plots and 49 percent on burned plots.  Sweetfern average
frequency on Site Four, which had not had fire for 13 to 20 years, was
54 percent on unburned plots and 71 percent on burned plots [36].

Little bluestem stands in Connecticut, subject to periodic burning for
more than a decade, showed a fourfold increase in sweetfern compared to
control plots [25].  Sweetfern's presence seemed to enhance little
bluestem growth, probably because of sweetfern's nitrogen-fixing
ability.

Burning and clipping blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) stands in Ontario
resulted in increases of sweetfern (considered a weedy species under
these circumstances) in summer and autumn [32].  Plots treated in spring
showed only slight increases of sweetfern.


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Sweetfern increases following fire [24,26,36].  In jack pine barrens of
Ontario, it sprouted following fires that burned as hot as 932 degrees
Fahrenheit (500 deg C) [33].  


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
Following a May wildfire in northeastern Minnesota, sweetfern increased
in percent cover from postfire year 1 through 4 on three burned sites,
remained relatively unchanged in two burned sites, and showed slight
increases on two burned sites [27].  Percent occurrence of sweetfern was
determined for mixed conifer hardwood stands in northeastern Minnesota.
On Site One the fire occured in late April with little or no burning of
the soil.  Sweetfern increased from 23 percent occurrence during
postfire year 3 to 43 percent during postfire year 14.  On Site Two the
fire burned in mid-July with little or no soil burned, but the fire was
considered "hot."  Sweetfern increased from 57 percent occurrence during
postfire year 2 to 80 percent during postfire year 11 [19].


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY

Related categories for Species: Comptonia peregrina | Sweetfern