1Up Info - A Portal with a Difference

1Up Travel - A Travel Portal with a Difference.    
1Up Info
   

Earth & EnvironmentHistoryLiterature & ArtsHealth & MedicinePeoplePlacesPlants & Animals  • Philosophy & Religion  • Science & TechnologySocial Science & LawSports & Everyday Life Wildlife, Animals, & PlantsCountry Study Encyclopedia A -Z
North America Gazetteer


You are here >1Up Info > Wildlife, Animals, and Plants > Plant Species > Shrub > Species: Juniperus pinchotii | Pinchot Juniper
 

Wildlife, Animals, and Plants

 


Wildlife, Animals, and Plants

 

Wildlife Species

  Amphibians

  Birds

  Mammals

  Reptiles

 

Kuchler

 

Plants

  Bryophyte

  Cactus

  Fern or Fern Ally

  Forb

  Graminoid

  Lichen

  Shrub

  Tree

  Vine


FIRE EFFECTS

SPECIES: Juniperus pinchotii | Pinchot Juniper
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : Moderate- and low-severity fires can kill Pinchot juniper seedlings and saplings if the basal bud zone is unprotected by soil. Mature Pinchot juniper with a soil-protected basal bud zone is top-killed by fire [49,50]. Considerable heat is required for ignition, but once ignited, the plant burns so vigorously that usually all the branches are killed [5]. DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : NO-ENTRY PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : Pinchot juniper will sprout from a basal bud zone when top-killed by fire [5,25]. Ahlstrand [5] reported that 50 percent of the mature height was regained during a 3- to 7-year recovery period after a fire. Kittams [25] reported that 25 to 50 years may be required for attainment of mature height, which agrees with Ahlstrand's estimate for attaining the mature height of the original stand. Pinchot juniper sprouts were not producing seed after 3 years of postfire growth [51]. DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : NO-ENTRY FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Prescribed fire can be used to eradicate Pinchot juniper seedlings on grasslands not already infested with mature Pinchot juniper. Established or mature Pinchot juniper can be controlled by a combination of mechanical treatments and prescribed fire [41,42]. Pinchot juniper is difficult to kill with fire unless the basal bud zones are above the soil, which is usually only true for seedlings and saplings (not sprouts). If the bud zones are exposed, prescribed fire can result in 70 to 75 percent mortality [41,50]. Percent mortality increases in dry years: 90 percent of Pinchot juniper plants less than 20 inches tall were killed by a prescribed fire when precipitation was 32 percent below normal. Pinchot juniper fire mortality decreases with increased precipitation, and plots would need to be burned again sooner than if originally burned in a dry year [50]. Pinchot juniper sprouts do not produce seed right away, which decreases the amount of seedling recruitment on the site [51]. Prescribed fires should be limited to gently to moderately sloping sites (3 to 12 percent grade) to minimize potential soil loss [50,51]. Areas burned to remove Pinchot juniper are usually not invaded by other woody species following fire [41]. Herbaceous plant recovery after prescribed fire depends on the season of burn and postburn moisture availability [50]. The benefit of increased mortality of Pinchot juniper from burning in a dry year is offset by the loss of forage; productivity can be decreased by 50 percent after prescribed burning in a dry year. Most Pinchot juniper-invaded pastures recover to noninvaded productivity levels within 3 years of a prescribed fire (after earlier mechanical treatment) [50]. After early spring fires, managers are advised to wait until mid-June before stocking [41]. A 10- to 20-year burning cycle can keep pasture in a productive state for both wildlife and livestock, reducing the need for chemical or mechanical control [41,50]. Rangeland sites with shallow loamy soils over limestone will respond differently than sites with deep or clay soils. On deep, heavy soil sites, tobosa grass (Hilaria mutica) may be the dominant grass. Following burning, sites with deep soil tend to be more stable with regard to production and species composition [41]. Pinchot juniper may become more fire resistant earlier (i.e. the basal bud zone buried sooner) on sites with deep soil. On deep-soil sites, a shorter fire interval (7 to 10 years) may be needed to maintain control of Pinchot juniper [41,49,50]. Control methods: Mechanical treatment kills large plants and concentrates fuels. Prescribed fire following such treatment removes woody debris (cover reduction from 25 percent to less than 2 percent) and kills Pinchot juniper seedlings and plants that escaped mechanical treatment [51]. Treatment of mature juniper involves chaining or using bulldozers to push over and pile large trees to concentrate Pinchot juniper fuels and allow an increase of fine fuels (pastures should be rested or undergo light grazing only). The prescribed fire should be conducted 3 to 5 years after the chaining treatment to allow fuels to dry and to allow Pinchot juniper seeds to germinate so that the seedlings can be killed. Managers can expect reductions in woody debris cover to below 2 percent [51]. Follow-up treatments should not be necessary, except that the area should be burned again before any Pinchot juniper plants are 4 feet (1.2 m) tall [41,50]. The ignition time needed to burn green Pinchot juniper foliage is most closely related to foliage moisture content and average mean daily temperature (r = 0.73 and r=0.48 respectively). During dry periods, the most significant factors are moisture content (r = 0.83) and relative humidity (r = 0.77). During wetter than average periods, no significant correlations occur, making fire behavior less predictable [10]. Chained, dead juniper is a highly volatile fuel [41,55]. The prepared sites can be burned with a headfire into 400 to 500 foot (120-150 m) firelines prepared earlier in the spring [41,50,59]. The green juniper seedlings can be burned with a foliage moisture content of between 60 and 80 percent [58]. It is recommended that there be 2,000 pounds per acre (2,250 kg/ha) of fine fuels present to carry the fire into juniper piles and to completely burn over the surrounding grasses and Pinchot juniper seedlings. It should be noted that if the area is populated by widely separated bunchgrasses, the fire may achieve only 50 percent coverage, even with 2,500 pounds per acre (2,800 kg/ha) fine fuels. If the area is covered with a sod-type grass, such as buffalograss, 1,000 pounds per acre (1,125 kg/ha) of fine fuels may be sufficient to achieve 70 percent burn coverage [41]. Wright and others [60] have developed an "expert system" for burning large pastures of dozed Pinchot juniper, with inputs of windspeed, time of day, air temperature, topography, green juniper moisture content, fuel type, and nearness of cold front. Large, mature Pinchot juniper with little understory is difficult and expensive to control with fire. It is hazardous to burn because extreme conditions are needed to achieve moderately complete burns. There has been limited success with windrowing techniques; conditions for success are particular and there is a risk of spot fires. Cover has to be at least 35 percent to form a relatively continuous fuel bed. Crown fires tend to stop when the distance between trees is greater than 26 feet [41]. Prescribed fire for control of Pinchot juniper can be conducted with ground ignition for small, easily traversed areas. Ground ignition can be difficult on large, rough and dissected areas because of increased fuel breaks. Aerial ignition, with a helitorch can be safer and give more control over the ignition pattern [32,58]. When compared for cost and efficiency, the helitorch method was found to have an economy of size, that is, as the size of units to be burned increases or the number of smaller units to be burned increases, the cost per acre decreases. Such economy does not occur with ground ignition, the cost per acre decreases only to a limit of approximately 2,500 acres (1,000 ha), above which the cost per acre remains the same. Therefore, it is recommended that aerial ignition be employed for large units (approximately over 5,000 acres [2,000 ha]) or for the equivalent area of smaller units [42].

Related categories for Species: Juniperus pinchotii | Pinchot Juniper

Send this page to a friend
Print this Page

Content on this web site is provided for informational purposes only. We accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by any person resulting from information published on this site. We encourage you to verify any critical information with the relevant authorities.

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

About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy | Links Directory
Link to 1Up Info | Add 1Up Info Search to your site

1Up Info All Rights reserved. Site best viewed in 800 x 600 resolution.