FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Tsuga mertensiana | Mountain Hemlock 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Mountain hemlock is not well adapted to fire [25].  Fire resistance of
mountain hemlock has been rated as low [65].  Its relatively thick bark
provides some protection, but low-hanging branches, highly flammable
foliage, and a tendency to grow in dense groups make it very susceptible
to fire injury [25].
  
Mountain hemlock sites are typically moist with average precipitation
over 50 inches (127 cm), making fire occurrence low (400-800 years)
[7,11,34].  Fuel loading in these sites is often low [7].  In the
Pacific Northwest, the estimated prelogging fire regime in mountain
hemlock forest types is 611 years [11].  Fires in these cool wet forest
types generally occur as infrequent crown fires.  When fires do occur in
mountain hemlock forests, they are often severe stand-replacing fires
[25].


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

Related categories for Species: Tsuga mertensiana | Mountain Hemlock