FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Thuja plicata | Western Redcedar 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Western redcedar fire resistance is low to moderate [21].  Its thin
bark, shallow root system, low dense branching habit, and highly
flammable foliage make it susceptible to fire damage [21,59].  However,
it often survives fire because of it large size [21].  Old western
redcedar trees are commonly fire scarred in northern Idaho [51].
Western redcedar is more severely damaged by fire than any of its
associates along the coast region but is less susceptible than Engelmann
spruce (Picea engelmannii), western hemlock, and subalpine fir in
interior regions [50].

The frequency of fire in western redcedar stands tends to be low
[13,73].  In most of the western redcedar forests from southern British
Columbia to northern California moderate to severe wildfires occur at
long intervals between 50 to 350 years [10].  In streamside and seepage
areas dominated by western redcedar the mean fire interval is greater
than 200 years.  In western redcedar habitats on lower and middle slopes
the mean fire interval is 50 to 150 years [82].  In the
Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness those stands dominated by western redcedar
had the longest fire regime [29].


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Tree without adventitious-bud root crown
   Secondary colonizer - off-site seed

Related categories for Species: Thuja plicata | Western Redcedar