FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Ulmus americana | American Elm 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
American elm is easily damaged by fire [11].  Low- and moderate-severity
fires top-kill trees up to sapling size and will wound larger trees
[29].  In a study of the fire effects on 2- to 8-year old American elm
trees in the Missouri prairie, two spring fires of unreported severity
in March and April caused dieback of 40 and 90 percent, respectively
[33].

American elm suffered complete tissue death when the cambium was exposed
to a temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 deg C) for 20 minutes
[31].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Young American elm will sprout from the base following fire [1,25].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Fire is usually not a major management consideration for American elm in
the North, but in the southern bottomlands, fall and early spring fires
are extremely damaging.  Most fires will top-kill seedlings and saplings
and wound larger trees, providing an entry point for heart-rot fungi
[20,40].

Related categories for Species: Ulmus americana | American Elm