FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Quercus agrifolia | Coast Live Oak 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Coast live oak is the most fire resistant of all California oaks.
Adaptations to fire include evergreen leaves, thick bark, and sprouting.
Evergreen leaves allow coast live oak to allocate greater amounts of
energy to regeneration than to leaf growth.  Evergreens are often better
able to conserve available nutrients than deciduous species, and are
favored in fire-prone settings [52].  Coast live oak bark is mainly
composed of live inner bark with little dead outer tissue [68].  The
vascular cambium is usually protected.  Even where heavily charred,
damage typically extends only 0.5 to 0.8 inch (1.3-1.9 cm) into the bark
[67].  Because of this, trees are often able to survive crown fire.
Trees may sprout from the main trunk and upper crown even after severe
burning [68].  When trees are top-killed, they sprout from the root
crown [22,66].  Vigorous sprouting is supported by food reserves stored
in the extensive root system [19].

Historically, the woodlands in which these trees are prominent burned
frequently.  Vogl [85] estimates a frequency of approximately one fire
per year in grassland savannas and coastal foothills.

Fire ecology:  These oaks generate a deep litter layer except on steep
slopes [39].  Leaves contain large amounts of flammable ether extracts [75].


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Tree with adventitious-bud rootcrown/ soboliferous species root sucker
   Tall shrub, adventitious-bud rootcrown
   Ground residual colonizer (onsite, initial community)
   Secondary colonizer - offsite seed

Related categories for Species: Quercus agrifolia | Coast Live Oak