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You are here >1Up Info > Wildlife, Animals, and Plants > Plant Species > Shrub > Species: Larrea tridentata | Creosotebush
 

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FIRE EFFECTS

SPECIES: Larrea tridentata | Creosotebush
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : Fire kills many creosotebush. During a low-severity California fire, many creosotebush were scorched and few burned, but overall mortality was still 97 percent [115]. Dalton [33] reported mortality rates of 69 and 63 percent for moderately and lightly burned plants, respectively. A low-severity fire near Florence, Arizona, top-killed 97 percent of all creosotebush; however, 37 percent of those sprouted. Overall creosotebush mortality was 61 percent [72]. DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : NO-ENTRY PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : Creosotebush may sprout if its root crown is not killed by fire [64]. In a southern California brushfire, creosotebush successfully sprouted and regained its estimated former cover within 5 years [83]. In a low-severity Arizona fire, 37 percent of top-killed creosotebush sprouted [72]. However, Brown and Minnich [115] reported that creosotebush rarely sprouted even though most shrubs were incompletely burned in a low-severity fire near Palm Springs, California. Dalton [33] reported good creosotebush seedling establishment on a burned site in Arizona, possibly due to reduced competition for soil moisture. No seedling establishment occurred on unburned sites. Seedling establishment also occured after a low-severity fire in Arizona. Prefire density of creosotebush was 45 plants per hectare, and creosotebush cover was 1.3 percent [72]. In postfire year 1, the density of creosotebush was 125 plants per hectare and creosotebush cover was 0.3 percent. In postfire year 2, the density of creosotebush was 95 plants per hectare and creosotebush cover was 0.6 percent. DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : Season of burning, fuel quantity, fire temperature, and age of existing creosotebush may affect the ability of creosotebush to sprout. White [108] noted that burning creosotebush during different seasons at the Sant Rita Experimental Range near Tucson, Arizona, resulted in significant differences in sprout production. The most sprouts were produced following February and August fires. The least sprouts were produced following June and July fires. The seasonal pattern of sprout production closely followed trends in growth of terminal shoots. Sprouting in creosotebush decreased with increasing fuel quantity and decreased as soil temperature and duration of heating increased [108,109]. Young plants produced fewer sprouts after burning than mature plants [108]. FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Fire can be used to control creosotebush and promote the growth of grasses in desert grasslands and shrublands. Prescribed burning should be conducted in spring or early fall following 2 years of above average plant growth. Britton and Wright [20] describe specific procedures for burning shrub-invaded grasslands. Soils under some creosotebush are water repellant because of associated soil microorganisms. The hydrophobic characteristic of such soils precludes the establishment of annuals normally occurring under creosotebush. The degree to which the soils are hydrophobic may be intensified by fire [5]. Standing biomass, deadwood, and leaf litter from creosotebush can fuel desert fires. Dead fuels are increased by drought, and live fuels are increased after rainy seasons. The shoot volume, dry weight, and biomass production of creosotebush all increase in sigmoid fashion with age. The period of most rapid increase is from 20 to 50 years of age. From 20 years onward, leaves average 53 percent of total shoot cumulative production, stems with leaves average 13 percent, and the stem trunk averages 4 percent [28]. Woody remains of creosotebush take about 60 years to decay beyond the point of recognition [71].

Related categories for Species: Larrea tridentata | Creosotebush

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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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