FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Pinus attenuata | Knobcone Pine 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Crown fire kills knobcone pine of all size classes and vaporizes the
resin sealing their cones [13,41].  The effect of surface fires on
mature trees is undocumented.  The thin bark, however, probably provides
little protection from all but low-severity surface fire.  Saplings are
killed by surface fire.  Fire is not a threat to young trees, however,
since the preceding stand-replacing fire has removed most of the fuel
load [30].  Cones are extremely fire resistant and are seldom consumed
by fire [41].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Fire-opened cones remain attached to standing dead trees.  Released seed
quickly germinates with late winter or early spring rains [47].
Seedlings continue to establish over a period of several years as cones
slowly open and release seeds.  Aerial photographs taken at postfire
year 16 of a burn on Cerro Miracielo, Baja California, showed that
saplings had established throughout the burn [32].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Fire is essential for the completion of knobcone pine's life cycle.
Cones of senescent or dead trees must be opened by fire to perpetuate
the groves before trees succumb and add the unopened cones to the
decomposing litter [40].

Related categories for Species: Pinus attenuata | Knobcone Pine