FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Eriodictyon californicum | Yerba Santa 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Moderate-severity fire top-kills yerba santa; severe fire may kill it.
Survival of underground rhizomes is most likely after low- to
moderate-severity fire [28].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Yerba santa germinates from seed during the first postfire growing
season. Seeds that have lain dormant in the soil for decades will
germinate following a fire [6].  It is possible that yerba santa has
hard-coated seeds that will not germinate except when scarified.  Yerba
santa seeds are very difficult to germinate under laboratory conditions
[14]; and may have some mechanism that inhibits water imbibition and
germination.  Alternatively, fire may break the seed's dormancy by
burning off the litter layer and exposing the seed to sufficient light
to allow germination.  Newly established seedlings grow rapidly, and may
begin vegetative reproduction in the second postfire growing season [6].

Yerba santa sprouts from surviving rhizomes at the first postfire
growing season [19].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Range:  Repeated prescribed fires are not recommended for eradicating
yerba santa.  Eepeated rangeland fires have increased yerba santa
populations and decreased the number of desirable browse species.  The
combination of fire and herbivory removes competing species.  If fire is
to be used as a management tool, a single fire is recommended to
top-kill existing plants; thereafter herbicides should be used to kill
sprouts and seedlings [6,19].

Related categories for Species: Eriodictyon californicum | Yerba Santa