FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Cornus nuttallii | Pacific Dogwood 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Due to the thin bark of Pacific dogwood the immediate effect of a cool
to moderate burn is damage to the cambian layer resulting in top-kill of
the tree [6,12].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Pacific dogwood sprouts vigorously from dormant buds on the root crown
after cool to moderate burns [12].  The number of suckers per stump is
directly proportional to stump size [32].  Roy [27] investigated
hardwood sprouting in California after clearcutting and broadcast
burning.  The mean height, crown diameter, and sprouts per plant in
postfire years 2 and 3 were as follows:

Post fire       Height          Crown Diameter          Sprouts

Year 2          4.2 feet        4.5 feet                19
                (1.3 m)         (1.36 m)
Year 3          5.9 feet        5.4                     14 
                (1.7 m)         (1.6 m)

Schoonmaker and McKee [31] studied long-term secondary succession in the
coniferious forests of the Cascades.  They found that percent cover of
Pacific Dogwood after 40 years exceeds that of old growth.

Pacific dogwood will invade clearcuts and burns from adjacent forests
from dissemination of seeds by birds and small mammals [39].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
If one of the management goals of a prescribed fire is preservation of
Pacific dogwood for aesthetic value (as in the giant sequoia groves), a
fire line should be prepared around Pacific dogwood [6].  When Pacific
dogwood is overtopped by conifers and becomes decadent, as in the case
of the disjunct population in Idaho, a prescribed fire is recommended
for rejuvenation [24].

Related categories for Species: Cornus nuttallii | Pacific Dogwood