FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Gaylussacia baccata | Black Huckleberry 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Black huckleberry is fire tolerant.  Aboveground parts are destroyed by
most fires, but dormant rhizome buds usually survive and sprout [32,39].

Black huckleberry cover either increases, remains the same, or decreases
after fire, depending on rhizome depth, fire severity and frequency, and
associated plant community [6,30,31,32].  Low-severity fire encourages
prolific vegetative reproduction of black huckleberry [30].  However,
severe fire that burns the humus layer, where many of the rhizomes are,
can reduce or eliminate black huckleberry from a site.  Black
huckleberry may not recolonize a severely burned site for several
decades [32].  Frequent fire usually decreases black huckleberry cover,
probably because of inadequate time between fires to replenish root
resources [7].

Black huckleberry regeneration after fire is independent of aboveground
severity but not belowground severity.  Areas that burn frequently may
have low levels of humus, so rhizomes grow in the soil and are less
vulnerable to fire.  For instance, black huckleberry persists in
oak-pine barrens which typically experience severe crown fires [12].

Historically, the New Jersey pine barrens burned with severe crown fire
every 20 to 25 years [3].  Presently, these areas are burned by
low-severity prescribed fires.  Changes in black huckleberry densities
in pine barrens with the advent of fire management are unreported [31].


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Rhizomatous shrub, rhizome in soil

Related categories for Species: Gaylussacia baccata | Black Huckleberry