FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Vaccinium vitis-idaea | Mountain Cranberry 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Mountain cranberry occurs in a variety of communities across a wide
climatic range.  It persists under a regime of relatively frequent fires
but also grows in areas that rarely burn.  Black spruce communities are
dependent on frequent fires, and most associated species, including
mountain cranberry, are well adapted to fire [110].  Fires in black
spruce communities of Alaska and northern Canada are commonly lightning
caused and tend to be large [68,110].  Fire frequencies average 80 to
200 years [96,110].  In moister black spruce/mountain cranberry
communities in eastern Canada, fires may occur at 500-year intervals
[35].  Mountain cranberry remains important in jack pine stands that
burn at 20- to 40-year intervals and in Swedish pine forests that burn
every 40 years [13,30].

Fire may be an important factor in treeline communities of the North.
In Siberia, past extensive fires may have destroyed forest communities.
Trees may have been unable to reestablish on these harsh sites under the
current climatic regimes.  Low-shrub-dominated tundra communities
composed of species such as mountain cranberry may have eventually
replaced these forest stands [108].  Fire intervals in shrub subzones of
forest-tundra communities have been estimated at 1,460 years [96].
Mountain cranberry continues to be abundant on these infrequently burned
sites.

In many forest communities, mountain cranberry requires fire for its
maintenance [30].  Increases in cover and vigor after fire are commonly
observed [9].  Mountain cranberry generally reestablishes a site through
sprouting from rhizomes and aerial stems.  Very limited reestablishment
may occur on exceptional sites in good years by seed transported from
off-site.


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Small shrub, adventitious-bud root crown
   Rhizomatous shrub, rhizome in soil
   Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)

Related categories for Species: Vaccinium vitis-idaea | Mountain Cranberry