Which plants are clues to a recent fire?
July 13, 2012 11:15 AM Subscribe
What plants (especially flowers) can be found growing in a wooded area that had recently (within 1-6 years) been through a fire? Other indications that a fire had passed? Northeast specific, please. If you were playing fire detective, what would you look for?
Please excuse my ignorance. If you were to come upon a wooded area that had fairly recently (within 1-6 years) been through a fire, what signs would you look for to indicate this?
Patches of fire followers? What kind specifically? (I've found plenty of flowers that fit this that are native to California, but I'm looking for some that are native to the Northeast, instead.) Spruces? I believe those are prevalent after fires as well, but I don't know how long after a fire it is likely for them to appear.
Sorry the question is sort of convoluted--what I'm asking is, without explicit knowledge that the area had been through a fire in recent years, what clues would you look for to indicate this? Hopefully clues that would lead you to come to the reasonable conclusion/fair guess that there had been a fire.
Please excuse my ignorance. If you were to come upon a wooded area that had fairly recently (within 1-6 years) been through a fire, what signs would you look for to indicate this?
Patches of fire followers? What kind specifically? (I've found plenty of flowers that fit this that are native to California, but I'm looking for some that are native to the Northeast, instead.) Spruces? I believe those are prevalent after fires as well, but I don't know how long after a fire it is likely for them to appear.
Sorry the question is sort of convoluted--what I'm asking is, without explicit knowledge that the area had been through a fire in recent years, what clues would you look for to indicate this? Hopefully clues that would lead you to come to the reasonable conclusion/fair guess that there had been a fire.
I don't have an answer for you, but if you're interested in these types of questions, you might want to check out Reading the Forested Landscape or Forest Forensics.
posted by golden at 11:33 AM on July 13, 2012
posted by golden at 11:33 AM on July 13, 2012
What you're looking for is more information about post-fire succession. Secondary succession happens when a habitat is re-colonized after being destroyed or changed in some way, including by fire, by man-made interventions (like old field succession, which happens when farm fields or lawns are abandoned), or at the edges of habitats like lakes and bogs.
Exactly what kinds of plants are going to be pioneers in this situation is going to vary a lot based on your location (even within the Northeast) but people do do research on this. I don't know as much about fire succession as I do about old field succession but in old fields you wouldn't expect any proper trees for the first five years or so. Around five years shrubs really start to take off, and in the 5-10 year range trees come in. After that, the trees start crowding out the ground plants, and you get that "forest" kind of look. Here's a PDF that covers some of this.
And on preview, yes! I couldn't think of the title but I also wanted to recommend those books.
posted by mskyle at 11:35 AM on July 13, 2012
Exactly what kinds of plants are going to be pioneers in this situation is going to vary a lot based on your location (even within the Northeast) but people do do research on this. I don't know as much about fire succession as I do about old field succession but in old fields you wouldn't expect any proper trees for the first five years or so. Around five years shrubs really start to take off, and in the 5-10 year range trees come in. After that, the trees start crowding out the ground plants, and you get that "forest" kind of look. Here's a PDF that covers some of this.
And on preview, yes! I couldn't think of the title but I also wanted to recommend those books.
posted by mskyle at 11:35 AM on July 13, 2012
Best answer: It might be easier for us to look at evidence that makes you think that fire has been through the area.
In a recently burnt area of forest you are likely to see a more open tree canopy than other areas and a thicker ground cover if it has been several years. There is likely to be burn scars on the bigger trees and if there were any large, dead trees at the time of the fire you would likely see some burnt stumps and big trunks. Also, it is very likely that if you dig a little into the soil you should see a dark layer of burnt material.
The plants that take over the landscape after a fire depend on what the species succession is in the specific area. Spruces are very common in areas with frequent fires but they do not really show up after a burn. Most healthy spruce trees can actually survive a fire and new ones will get a boost.
posted by JayNolan at 11:39 AM on July 13, 2012
In a recently burnt area of forest you are likely to see a more open tree canopy than other areas and a thicker ground cover if it has been several years. There is likely to be burn scars on the bigger trees and if there were any large, dead trees at the time of the fire you would likely see some burnt stumps and big trunks. Also, it is very likely that if you dig a little into the soil you should see a dark layer of burnt material.
The plants that take over the landscape after a fire depend on what the species succession is in the specific area. Spruces are very common in areas with frequent fires but they do not really show up after a burn. Most healthy spruce trees can actually survive a fire and new ones will get a boost.
posted by JayNolan at 11:39 AM on July 13, 2012
Blueberry is common.
posted by mrgroweler at 11:47 AM on July 13, 2012
posted by mrgroweler at 11:47 AM on July 13, 2012
Response by poster: Awesome answers so far, thank you! I should probably mention that this is for a fairly minor plot point in a story, so I just need some basic indicators of a past fire, and will likely not get a chance to read up much more on the topic. Just enough for a character to assume there had been a fire. (I may just start off with the character noticing the fireweed and use that as a jumping off point, unless it seems unrealistic to jump to the conclusion of a past fire from the presence of fireweed.) Any more comments much appreciated!
posted by dysh at 11:52 AM on July 13, 2012
posted by dysh at 11:52 AM on July 13, 2012
Best answer: Personally, the open tree canopy and the resulting change in brightness of the sun is what I notice. For example, when there's been a forest fire right at the side of a highway, even after several years pass it's easy to spot when driving by because it suddenly becomes alot brighter when you hit that area.
So, if it's a case where a character is walking in the woods, a brightening of the ambient light ("suddenly the sun was in my eyes") might be a jumping-off point to start looking for other signs of a fire such as burn scars or fireweed.
posted by cabingirl at 12:08 PM on July 13, 2012
So, if it's a case where a character is walking in the woods, a brightening of the ambient light ("suddenly the sun was in my eyes") might be a jumping-off point to start looking for other signs of a fire such as burn scars or fireweed.
posted by cabingirl at 12:08 PM on July 13, 2012
There will be a big difference in the short term, but as you get to the 5-6 year mark, it's unlikely you'd find any evidence except burn marks on trees that were already dead at the time of the fire. I'd suggest talking to an forest extension agent from a local university, they'll be able to give you specific things to look for.
posted by schyler523 at 12:26 PM on July 13, 2012
posted by schyler523 at 12:26 PM on July 13, 2012
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posted by sanka at 11:26 AM on July 13, 2012