FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Prunus serotina | Black Cherry 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Black cherry's thin bark (about 0.2 inches [5 cm]) has poor insulating
properties [23].  When the boles of black cherry trees were heated with
a propane torch, the cambium reached lethal temperatures faster than any
other eastern hardwood tested.  The thin bark makes trees highly
susceptible to girdling, and black cherry is usually killed or
top-killed by fires of moderate severity.  Trees larger than about 4 to
6 inches in diameter, however, may survive light surface fires
[39,45,48].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
The effects of fire on black cherry vary depending on fire severity and
stem diameter.  A large percentage of seedlings and saplings are
generally top-killed by low-severity fires, but larger individuals may
be unaffected.  As fire severity increases, the percentage of tree-sized
individuals killed also increases.

An April prescribed fire in a south-central Wisconsin bur and white oak
savanna killed only 2 out of 141 black cherry seedlings and saplings.
The others either resprouted, suffered only partial scarring, or were
unharmed.  The percentage of foliage killed was inversely related to
stem diameter.  Nearly all seedlings were top-killed, but only a small
percentage of plants 4 inches (10 cm) d.b.h. were affected.  In general,
black cherry was more susceptible to fire damage than either species of
oak [25].

Low-intensity prescribed surface fires (mean flame length > 1 foot [0.3
m], mean rate of spread of 10.8 feet [3.3 m] per minute) in a
30-year-old mixed hardwood stand in central Wisconsin top-killed 67 to
100 percent of saplings less than 4 inches (10 cm) d.b.h., but did not
top-kill any black cherry greater than 4 inches (10 cm) d.b.h.  One year
after the fire, seedling density was reduced by about 35 percent, from
11,400 to 7,500 per acre (28,250-18,500/ha) [48].

Following a wildfire in south-central New York, 12 percent of 4 inch (10
cm) d.b.h. and smaller black cherry in old fields were killed.  The rest
were top-killed and later sprouted [53].

In longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) stands in Alabama, two summer
prescribed burns spaced 2 years apart killed small black cherry less
than 1 inch d.b.h.  These plants sprouted after the first fire but not
after the second [10].

Following an early spring, low-intensity prescribed fire in a young
black oak (Quercus velutina)-black cherry forest in Connecticut, about
15 percent of 1- to 4-inch-diameter black cherry were top-killed.  No
4- to 6-inch-diameter trees were affected [45].


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Black cherry typically sprouts when aboveground portions are killed by
fire.  It is generally considered a prolific sprouter.  Each top-killed
individual produces several sprouts that grow rapidly.


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
In 4- to 6-year-old northern Alabama clearcuts, black cherry saplings
and coppice sprouts regenerated quickly following top-killing broadcast
burns.  Three to four years after burning, the density and frequency of
stems greater than 4.5 feet (1.4 m) tall was about equal to preburn
levels [28].

In North Carolina, 1-inch-diameter (2.5 cm) black cherry that were
top-killed following a winter prescribed fire quickly sprouted,
producing an average of eight sprouts per stump.  Black cherry sprouts
grew faster than all other hardwood sprouts on the study area.  The
average height of the tallest black cherry sprout on each stump was 5.8
feet (1.7 m) 1 year after burning [49].

In oldfields in New York, black cherry seedlings top-killed by fire
averaged 4.4 sprouts per stump [53].

In south-central Wisconsin oak savanna, black cherry seedlings and
saplings top-killed by fire had 1 to 16 sprouts per stump.  In general,
black cherry's sprouting response was vigorous, producing larger and
more numerous sprouts than than black, white, or bur oak [25].


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Black cherry does not require scarified seedbeds.  Controlled burning
following timber harvest is not necessary for black cherry regeneration
[41].

Black cherry sprouts prolifically following fire.  However, this
depletes its underground carbohydrate reserves and leaves it in a
weakened condition.  A second fire within a year or two would probably
kill any seedlings and saplings that survived the first fire by
resprouting [10,25].

Related categories for Species: Prunus serotina | Black Cherry