FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Rhus trilobata | Skunkbush Sumac 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Skunkbush sumac is rarely killed by fire even when all aboveground
vegetation is removed [27].  The presence of woody rhizomes, and its
propensity for sprouting, minimize the effect of fire on skunkbush sumac
[44].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Skunkbush sumac sprouts vigorously from rhizomes or from the root crown
when aboveground vegetation is consumed by fire [10,13,42,44,47].
Overlying soil apparently protects these reproductive structures from
most fires.

Postfire recovery time has not been well documented for this species.
However, only 2 years after a fire in an Arizona chaparral community,
the number of sprouts was five times the number of original branches
[38].  This suggests that skunkbush sumac may have the ability to
recover quickly following most fires.

Little documentation exists on potential differences in response
according to season of burn or fire severity.  Few published accounts
note response by season, although researchers have reported increases in
skunkbush sumac after mid to late spring burns in South Dakota [9,46].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
Skunkbush sumac typically increases after fire.  Gartner and Thompson
[18] reported the following percent composition and frequency of
skunkbush sumac on burned and unburned sites in the Black Hills of South
Dakota:

                1970               1970               1971
          composition (%)       frequency (%)       frequency (%)   
      control       burn       control    burn     control    burn
        0.0          2.2          0         2         2        2

Cover of skunkbush sumac typically increases after fire, although
average plant size is reduced for a time.  In a Black Hills ponderosa
pine forest, average heights and crown widths were significantly less
after prescribed burns.  Results were as follows {3]:

                           1979-Preburn         1980               1981
                       Control  Burn     Control   Burn      Control   Burn
                       ------------------------------------------------------
Total # of Plants      48       19        57       23        65        23 
Mean max. height       28.2 cm  39.9 cm   28.6 cm  17.9 cm   30.6 cm   25.4 cm
Mean max. crown width  31.0 cm  33.2 cm   31.5 cm  17.7 cm   30.6 cm   25.4 cm



FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY

Related categories for Species: Rhus trilobata | Skunkbush Sumac