FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Lycium torreyi | Torrey Wolfberry 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Severe fires may kill Torrey wolfberry, but low- to moderate-severity
fires probably only consume its aerial portions.


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Specific information on the response of Torrey wolfberry to fire is not
available in the literature.  In general, wolfberry species sprouted
rapidly after controlled June fires in Sonoran Desert scrub vegetation
near Phoenix, Arizona.  The well developed wolfberry root systems
escaped damage from the fire, allowing them to capitalize on increased
water and nitrogen availablity in the postfire environment.  Wolfberries
had established their former density and cover by 35 months after the
fire.  Wolfberry plants had similiar responses in both open shrub and
tree microhabitats [16].

Wolfberry species sprouted and seedlings established within 3 years
following a June wildfire in a Sonoran Desert scrub community near
Phoenix, Arizona.  No information was given on fire severity or
intensity [21].

Berlandier wolfberry was reduced by prescribed fires in southern Texas
[2,3,7], but the effects were short-lived and canopy diameter had
recovered to prefire levels by the end of the first growing season
following the fire [7].



DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Fires are not prevalent in many desert communities due to wide spacing
between shrubs and sparse ground cover [4,10].  Unusually heavy winter
rains, however, may produce a cover of annual species dense enough to
carry a fire when cured [10].  Many perennial desert shrubs are poorly
adapted to fire [4].  Wolfberries in particular may be susceptible to
repeated burning [16].  Postfire colonization by desert shrubs is very
slow initially and may take hundreds of years [4,21].  Rogers and Steele
[21] suggested a conservative approach when using fire to manage desert
regions.

Related categories for Species: Lycium torreyi | Torrey Wolfberry