FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Pinus elliottii | Slash Pine 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Young slash pine is susceptible to fire, but mature trees are fire
resistant [4].  Thick bark and high, open crowns allow individuals to
survive fire.  Slash pine, however, is less fire resistant than longleaf
or sand pine [27].  Seedlings grow fast, and in 10 to 12 years slash
pine is resistant to fire that does not crown [46].

Estimates of the natural fire frequency of slash pine flatwoods range
from 3 to 15 fires per century [8,21].  A fire interval of at least 5 to
6 years allows young trees to develop some fire resistance.  Fires are
ignited by lightning in late spring and summer [10,41].  Ample soil
moisture and seasonally wet depressions and drainages of slash pine
habitat impede fire entry.  Occasional fire serves to reduce hardwood
competition and expose mineral soil which enhances germination [21,24].

The bark structure of slash pine is important to its fire resistance.
Outer bark layers overlap and protect grooves where the bark is thinner
[6].  The platy bark flakes off to dissipate heat [21].

The south Florida variety is more fire resistant than the typical
variety because seedlings and saplings have thicker bark [1,2,24,42].
The estimated natural fire frequency of south Florida slash pine
communities is 25 fires per century [21].  Crown fires are rare because
frequent fires reduce fuel build-up, trees self-prune well, and stands
are open [1].  In addition to adaptations of the typical slash pine
variety, the south Florida variety is fire resistant in the seedling
grass stage.  A dense tuft of needles protects the terminal bud.  If
top-killed by fire, the grass-stage seedling may sprout from the root
collar [45].  See the longleaf pine writeup for further information on
grass-stage seedlings.



POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Crown-stored residual colonizer; short-viability seed in on-site cones
   off-site colonizer; seed carried by wind; postfire years one and two

Related categories for Species: Pinus elliottii | Slash Pine