FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Heteromeles arbutifolia | Toyon 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Toyon is quite resistant to fire mortality [64].  Although aerial
portions may be killed, most plants survive fire [23,51,59].  In fact,
toyon appears to suffer very little fire mortality even when subjected
to short-interval fires.  On chaparral sites in southern California,
toyon sprouted following a 1979 wildfire and resprouted in 1980 when a
grassfire reburned the site [65].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Toyon is an obligate sprouter following fires on chaparral sites
[30,31,64].  Vigorous sprouting is the primary means by which toyon
restablishes in the postburn community [29,32].  Seedlings rarely occur
immediately following fire [30,63].

Vegetative regeneration:  Toyon sprouts vigorously following fires which
kill the aerial stems [24,51,55].  Following a hot, July wildfire in
southern California chaparral, toyon plants occupying relatively moist
sites produced sprouts within 10 days [51].  Elsewhere on the burn, the
majority of toyon individuals had sprouted by December at which time
plants usually exhibited at least 12 sprouts per plant and sprout
heights of over 6 inches (15 cm) [51].  Although toyon cover is
initially reduced following burning, most plants rapidly regain their
preburn size and biomass [19,47,61].  Following a wildfire on scrub oak
chaparral sites in southern California, toyon produced sprouts 4 to 5
feet (1.2 to 1.5 m) tall within 4.5 years [23].

Seedling reproduction:  Unlike many chaparral species, toyon seeds are
not well adapted to resist fire or for long-term survival in the soil
[32,63].  However, since these short-lived seeds germinate readily under
favorable temperature and moisture conditions, some postburn
establishment may occur through bird dispersal of off-site seed [63].
Generalized information on obligate sprouters indicates resprouted
plants begin to produce seed crops within 1 to 2 years of burning and
that postburn fruit crops are often substantial [31].

While seedlings are rarely observed during the first postburn season
[51,62,65], exploitation of fire-created gaps can occur during periods
of above-normal precipitation [31,63].  Following two wet winters, toyon
established seedlings on a 3-year-old burn in Tecate cypress (Cupressus
forbesii) chaparral [63].  Unusually large numbers of toyon seedlings
occurred on both burned and adjacent unburned sites, but few survived
[63].  Although periods of above-normal precipitation are apparently
adequate for the initial establishment of toyon seedlings, successful
seedling establishment seems restricted to mesic sites beneath mature
chaparral where litter layers are well developed [31].  Keeley [31]
speculates that recruitment of new toyon individuals is never very
abundant and occurs primarily between fires rather than after fire [63].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Prescribed burns:  Toyon is a characteristic component of scrub oak
chaparral.  These communities generally lack an herbaceous understory
and do not carry fire as readily as chamise or coastal sage scrub
communities [17].

Burn frequency:  Although toyon is a characteristic species of
relatively infrequently burned stands of chaparral [22,31], it appears
adapted to a wide range of fire frequencies [31].  Few individuals die
as a direct result of fire, and seedlings are not established in the
immediate postburn environment [62].  Keeley [31] generalizes that
obligate sprouting species such as toyon are resilient to a burning
regime with a recurrence interval of 10 to 100 years.  Stand age at the
time of burning can have a significant impact on the recruitment of new
toyon individuals, however [23].  Microsites necessary for significant
population expansion are largely unavialable in stands with fire-free
intervals of less than 100 years [31,64].

Fuels reduction:  Domestic goats can be used as a method of fire hazard
reduction on forested sites where toyon is a conspicuous component of
the understory.  In communities dominated by Monterey pine and red gum,
cover of toyon at heights of 1.6 to 4.9 feet (0.5-1.5 m) was reduced 60
percent in 1 day with stocking rates of 600 Spanish goats per hectare
[67].

Wildlife management:  Burning initially increases the palatability of
toyon browse; sprouts are generally utilized for up to 2 postburn
growing seasons [56,57].

Related categories for Species: Heteromeles arbutifolia | Toyon