FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Betula populifolia | Gray Birch 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Fire, which can help establish gray birch, can also be quite damaging.
The thin bark of gray birch is very flammable, so the tree is easily
injured by fire [4,31].  Starker [32] lists gray birch as low in
resistance to fire, ranking it 17th out of 22 fire-resistant hardwoods
in the northeastern United States.  Gray birch is able sprout from the
root crown after aboveground portions are killed by fire [13].

Gray birch's abundant wind-dispersed seed is important in colonizing
burns.  Also, gray birch is likely to accumulate abundant seed in the
soil.  Seedling establishment following fire is probable from such seed
banks.


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Tree with adventitious-bud root crown/root sucker
   Secondary colonizer - on-site seed
   Secondary colonizer - off-site seed

Related categories for Species: Betula populifolia | Gray Birch