Question:
Are there any plants that have to be burnt in order to grow?
anonymous
2014-03-31 22:16:05 UTC
I thought my science teacher said that some types of plants have to be burnt before they grow and that is one of the reasons they have controlled forest fires.... What is the name of the plant if there is one
Nine answers:
Ranger
2014-04-01 07:24:51 UTC
While some species of trees have evolved to survive fire, such as Douglas Fir and several other conifers, the Bristle Cone Pine is the only one I know of that depends upon fire to open the cones.



There is some misinformation on this page. Fire is the ultimate enemy of Redwood Trees, they have not evolved to survive fires. They survive in only 3 spots in the world where there is lots of fog to provide moisture that protects them. Once they covered the entire earth, but change of climate reduced the fog and moisture and that made them susceptible to fire and reduced them to just the 3 spots they survive in.



Neither species of Redwood Trees, neither S. sempervirens or S. giganteum require fire to open the cones and let the seeds fall. Each Redwood tree will produce between 6 and 8 million seeds each year of which only a few are fertile and will grow. Most Redwood propagation is from new trees growing from buds on the branches and roots of old trees. The "Family Tree" at Jediah State Park on the Ore. / Calif. border is the best example of natural propagation, one can see many trees growing from the branches and above ground roots of the parent tree.



Lodge pole pine is another species that does not require fire. The pine cones open when the dry summer removes the moisture from the cones making them curl and drop their seeds. Lodge pole contains lots of pitch which is like throwing gas on a fire. Letting a lodge pole forest burn will result in destruction of the entire forest.



There is no one solution fits every forest. Some forest could burn and successfully recover, some forest will take thousands of years to recover if allowed to burn. The "Biscuit" fire in Southern Oregon is one that was allowed to burn when it should have been extinguished. The result is the ground is sterilized and won't support trees again for hundreds of years. Fire plans need to fit the individual forest.
bahbdorje
2014-03-31 23:33:48 UTC
Many plants have seeds that require fire you germinate, thr lidgepole pine and Sequaias are just 3. Many of the shrubs in the chapparal of Southern California are like this. And many of them will resprout readily from the roots after a fire. Also the plants of the Great Plains are used to being burnt nearly every year.



Burns release the nutrients in the old plants and help the new seedlings grow.
Mr. Smartypants
2014-03-31 22:20:19 UTC
Our redwoods here in California drop cones on the ground, and they lay there for years until a fire opens them up, and then they germinate. The way an 'ancient forest' works is that brush grows on the ground, and every so often a fire comes through and clears out the brush, making more room for new trees to get a foothold. These are relatively mild and the big trees live through them.



The problem is that we have 'overmanaged' our forests so the brush is so much thicker that now when there's a fire it's really hot and it kills all the big trees.
stone
2014-04-01 03:39:00 UTC
Simpson's zephyr lily is said to require a burn to flower:

http://pantherislandadventures.blogspot.com/2012/01/plant-of-week-simpsons-zephyr-lily.html



Hoary puccoon is another rare plant that seems to appreciate a burn:

http://bwwellsassociation.wordpress.com/2013/09/20/prescribed-burns-aid-the-hoary-puccoon-lithospermum-canescens/



There's a number of plants that appreciate a fire, Meadows were maintained by the Native Americans through burning... this eliminated the trees and bushes, while giving the forbs a new lease on life... not to mention all the morels... which were possibly the main reason for the burn...

And... all the morel hunters head out west to the forest fire sites...
Wendy
2014-04-04 18:13:11 UTC
In Australia we have many plants that need fire and even some whose seed will only germinate when smoky water falls on them!
glenn t
2014-03-31 22:18:21 UTC
Some pine tree cones release seed only after a fire
frank
2014-04-01 00:21:28 UTC
When you want to root a branch from a plumeria, you burn the cut part[ the part that goes in the ground] to prevent the sap from running out.
Annette
2014-04-01 04:35:11 UTC
Yes, the Maidenhair fern in Oz, comes back at it's very best after bushfires pass.



http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6032/6266173290_f58eb8276c.jpg
jay f
2014-03-31 22:25:30 UTC
Lodgepole pine


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