FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Cornus canadensis | Bunchberry 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Bunchberry is classed as moderately susceptible to fire-kill [22,23,59].
Its rhizomes can survive all but severe fires that remove the duff and
heat the upper soil for an extended period [22,23].  The rhizomes may
survive hotter fires in moist microsites such as depressions [Cooper
1928].  Rowe [80] considers it a late successional sprouter which is
adapted to short, intermediate, and long fire cycles.  Whether rhizomes
are growing in the organic layers or in mineral soil is important to
fire survival, and this varies both on a site [90] and between sites
[24,59,69,70,71,72,72,90].  While most postfire reports on bunchberry
indicate it sprouts from rhizomes, bunchberry also has soil-stored seed,
which may germinate following fire [6].


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Rhizomatous shrub, rhizome in soil
   Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)

Related categories for Species: Cornus canadensis | Bunchberry