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You are here >1Up Info > Wildlife, Animals, and Plants > Plant Species > Shrub > Species: Heteromeles arbutifolia | Toyon
 

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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

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Information Courtesy: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Fire Effects Information System

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