FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Pinus washoensis | Washoe Pine 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Before settlement, eastern-slope yellow pine communities of northeastern
California generally consisted of either monotypic stands or mixtures of
Washoe, ponderosa, and Jeffrey pines.  Structurally, eastside pine
forests usually consisted of widely scattered, large trees.
Low-severity fires were frequent, but forests may have had occasional
stand-replacing fires [14,28].  Canopy closures probably ranged from
about 30 percent on dry sites to 80 percent in the most productive
areas.  A 1917 report stated that yellow pines of the area were often
only four-log trees (a standard log was 16 feet long), suggesting that
mature trees were shorter than 100 feet (30 m) [14].

Susceptibility to fire in mid-elevation Washoe pine stands has increased
since 1850 because of fuel buildups and increased stocking of white fir.
Juniper and shrub cover have replaced the typical shrub/grass understory
at low elevations as a result of livestock grazing and fire suppression
[14].


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Tree without adventitious-bud root crown

Related categories for Species: Pinus washoensis | Washoe Pine