FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Tsuga canadensis | Eastern Hemlock 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Eastern hemlock is very susceptible to fire because of its thin bark,
shallow roots, low-branching habit, and heavy litter deposits [20,51].
It is possibly the most fire-sensitive mesophytic tree species in its
range [51].

Eastern hemlock usually escapes fire because it occurs in moist habitats
and is often associated with hardwoods which do not readily burn.  If a
fire starts in a cutover area, a windfall area, or an area with dead
standing timber, it may carry into a northern hardwoods forest if there
is strong wind [18].  In Michigan, the average return time for severe
crown fires in the hemlock-white pine-northern hardwoods type is
estimated to be about 1,400 years [63].  In northeastern Maine, the
average return interval for fire in spruce-fir forests in which eastern
hemlock is a minor component is about 800 years [37].

Vogl [61] considers eastern hemlock a fire-initiated species rather than
a fire-independent species because it benefits from fire-prepared
seedbeds.  However, suggestions that fire promotes regeneration of
eastern hemlock are not well documented.  Given the difficulties in
accurate age estimates because of heart rot, Rogers [51] suggests that
even-aged eastern hemlock forests that regenerated after fire may
actually be uneven-aged.


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

Related categories for Species: Tsuga canadensis | Eastern Hemlock