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You are here >1Up Info > Wildlife, Animals, and Plants > Plant Species > Shrub > Species: Vaccinium myrtillus | Dwarf Bilberry
 

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FIRE EFFECTS

SPECIES: Vaccinium myrtillus | Dwarf Bilberry
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : Portions of stem bases occasionally survive light fires. Underground regenerative structures of dwarf bilberry generally survive all but extremely hot fires [90]. Rhizomes, which occur at depths of 0.24 to 1.2 inches (6-30 mm) [41,90], can survive fires in which soil surface temperatures reach 820 degrees F (438 degrees C) [90]. However, rhizomes are sometimes destroyed on severely burned sites [90]. Seeds of most Vacciniums are of short viability and are readily killed by heat [64]. DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : NO-ENTRY PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : Vegetative response: Dwarf bilberry commonly sprouts from underground rhizomes or, when damage is less severe, from axillary buds located at the stem base [62,90]. Sprouting ability appears closely related to fire intensity and severity [62]. Dwarf bilberry generally sprouts following all but hot fires [90]. A Colorado study suggests that although postfire canopy cover is typically high on lightly burned sites, this shrub may be virtually eliminated on severely burned areas [109]. Postfire response is generally best in protected microsites or on lightly burned areas [78,90]. Clonal vigor is often enhanced by fire. Old, large, decadent clones are often broken up by fire [38]. Surviving portions serve as isolated centers of regeneration which give rise to the development of vigorous daughter clones [81]. Seed: Seedlings are rarely observed on burned sites [90]. Although some researchers consider dwarf bilberry to be a seed banker, adequate documentation is lacking [See Regeneration]. Birds and mammals may carry some seed to burned sites. Postfire response: Vegetative expansion of dwarf bilberry may be rapid after fire, particularly where competition is light [81]. Sprouting may be evident within a few months after fires in which surface soil temperatures reached as high as 820 degrees F (438 degrees C). In forests of northern Sweden, preburn cover can be reached within a few years. However, where underground rhizomes are destroyed by fire, recovery may take a "very long time" [90]. On burned and clearcut old growth forests of west-central Montana, dwarf bilberry had not attained preburned biomass within 10 to 14 years after disturbance [78]. DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : Fire temperature: The effect of temperature on the sprouting ability of dwarf bilberry in Scotland was documented as follows after 17 months of regrowth [62]: aboveground temperatures (degrees C for 2 minutes) 400 600 800 mean # sprouts/plant 180 51 22 mean % cover 133 68 16 mean height (cm) 22 17 14 mean biomass (g) 85 30 3 FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Wildlife: Evidence suggests that fire suppression may be having an adverse impact on bear habitat in some areas [102,110]. Once-productive berry fields are being invaded by conifers. Since plants beneath a forest canopy generally produce few berries, fruit production has been steadily declining in many areas [65]. Berry fields can be treated with fire if maintenance or enhancement of berry crops is a prime management objective. Logging treatments which include severe soil scarification or slash burns may also reduce berry production. Even where timber harvest favors berry production, lack of cover in early years can limit bear use. Wildfires often create diverse habitat mosaics which incorporate elements of hiding cover and favor bear use [102]. Prescribed fire: Flower buds tend to be more numerous on new shoots, and periodic removal of old shoots can increase flower production in Vacciniums. Prescribed fire has long been used to rejuvenate commercial low sweet blueberry (V. angustifolium) fields and to increase overall fruit production [64]. Prescribed fires, particularly those conducted during the spring when soil moisture is high, may increase berry production for wildlife species. Little research has been conducted on dwarf bilberry, although the use of prescribed fire has been evaluated with respect to blue and globe huckleberries [64,65] [see the VACMEM write-up]. Fuels: A dwarf bilberry understory partially supports fine fuels such as needle litter and small twigs and produces a more optimally aerated fuel bed. Estimated fuel loading of dwarf bilberry has been established for lodgepole pine forests of the southern Rocky Mountains [2]. Timber harvest: In spruce-fir forests of the southern Rocky Mountains of New Mexico, forest regeneration after fire may be most rapid in cover types dominated by Vacciniums such as dwarf bilberry [27].

Related categories for Species: Vaccinium myrtillus | Dwarf Bilberry

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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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