FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Vaccinium alaskensis | Alaska Blueberry 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Fire top-kills Alaska blueberry.  Moderate- to high-severity fires also
kill underground vegetative portions.

Seeds of most western Vaccinium spp. are susceptible to heat and are
killed by fire [39].



DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Fire severity significantly influences vegetative response and plants
may not sprout on heavily burned sites where underground regenerative
structures have been damaged or destroyed.

Clearcutting and subsequent burning increased the vigor of Alaska
blueberry in southeast Alaska.  Within 4 years the number of aerial
stems sprouting from rhizomes in clearcut and burned areas was twice the
number found in old stands [49].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
In a study at the Sawtooth Huckleberry Field near Mount Adams,
Washington, Vaccinium species sprouted in burned areas by the first
postfire growing season.  However, no flowers or berries were produced
by the plants for 3 years following the fire.  Significant berry
production was delayed 5 years [41].  On some sites, production may be
reduced for 20 to 30 years or longer [39].


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Flower buds tend to be more numerous on new shoots and periodic removal
of old shoots can increase flower production in many Vacciniums.
Prescribed fire has long been used to rejuvenate commercial low sweet
blueberry (V. angustifolium) fields and to increase fruit production.
Spring burns, conducted when the soil is moist, are generally most
effective in promoting blueberry fruit development [39].

Related categories for Species: Vaccinium alaskensis | Alaska Blueberry