FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Tsuga heterophylla | Western Hemlock 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Western hemlock has a low degree of fire resistance [20,58].  It has
thin bark, shallow roots, highly flammable foliage, and a low-branching
habit which make it very susceptible to fire.  Western hemlock tends to
form dense stands and its branches are often lichen covered, which
further increases its susceptibility to fire damage [15,29,57].

The frequency of fire in western hemlock stands tends to be low because
it commonly occupies cool mesic habitats which offer protection from all
but the most severe wildfire [22,64].  In western hemlock forests of the
Pacific Northwest, the fire regime is generally from 150 to 400 or more
years [58].  At Desolation Peak, Washington, western hemlock forest
types had a mean fire interval of 108 to 137 years [3].  In the western
hemlock/Pachistima habitat type described by Daubenmire and Daubenmire
[21], the mean fire interval is 50 to 150 years, and fire intensity in
these stands is quite variable [9].  In the Bitterroot Mountains,
western hemlock stands are more likely to be destroyed by
stand-replacing fires because they often occupy steep montane slopes
which favor more intense burning [8].


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

Related categories for Species: Tsuga heterophylla | Western Hemlock