FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Empetrum nigrum | Black Crowberry 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Black crowberry generally occurs in communities with long fire intervals
or in communities that lack the dry fuel to sustain a fire [7,24,45].
Low growth form and small stems make black crowberry liable to top-kill
by fire.  Belowground parts are also very susceptible to fire damage
because most of them are located near the soil surface [14,35].
Postfire seedlings may arise from seed banks but are not a regular
occurrence [24].  Black crowberry can regenerate vegetatively following
fire [5,20,39], but this process is slow.  Normal or prefire densities
may not be reached for 20 to 30 years [24].


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   survivor species; on-site surviving root crown or caudex
   off-site colonizer; seed carried by animals or water; postfire yr 1&2

Related categories for Species: Empetrum nigrum | Black Crowberry