More info for the terms:
cover,
density,
frequency,
moderate-severity fire,
prescribed burn,
prescribed fire,
root crown,
shrubs,
wildfireDesert gooseberry sprouts from the root crown after low- to
moderate-severity fire and seedlings may establish after fire.
Near Reno, Nevada, desert gooseberry has been described as a "vigorous"
sprouter [
31]. A summer wildfire burned a big sagebrush (Artemisia
tridentata)/Thurber needlegrass (Stipa thurberiana) community. In
postfire year 1 desert gooseberry occurred at a density of 0.06 to 0.08
plants per square meter; "virtually all" plants survived the fire and
sprouted. No desert gooseberry seedlings established the first year
[
31]. In Nevada and California, desert gooseberry occurred on 1- to
60-year old burned sites. The origin of desert gooseberry (seedlings
or sprouts) on these sites was not specifically mentioned but the
authors described desert gooseberry as a "root-sprouting shrub" [
10].
At Lava Beds National Monument, a July 1973 wildfire burned through a
bunchgrass community containing a small island of trees and shrubs,
including desert gooseberry. In 1977, a July prescribed fire was
conducted in a similar community that also included desert gooseberry.
The wildfire followed a month with no rain and low humidity. The
prescribed fire followed a month with high rainfall (2.04 inches [51
mm]). Fire conditions for both fires were as follows [
24]:
1973 wildfire 1977 prescribed fire
daytime high temp
degrees Fahrenheit 82.4 80.6
degrees Celsius 28.0 27
percent humidity 20 18
percent moisture content
of dead wood 0.25-1 inch
(0.62-2.54 cm) 3 6
wind speed
mi/h 9-12 0.6-7.2
km/h 15-20 1-12
Fire severities were not described. In postfire year 1, average desert
gooseberry frequency was less than 1 percent for all treatments
(wildfire, prescribed burn, and controls). The cover, average height,
and percent of dead branches in individual desert gooseberry crowns were
slightly less on the wildfire site in postfire year 1 than on adjacent,
unburned sites. Average values for desert gooseberry follow; standard
deviations are in parentheses:
Percent cover Height Percent dead
(cm) crown
1973 wildfire 0.2 (0.6) 81.3 (19.3) 19.3 (16.8)
unburned control 0.4 (1.1) 118.8 (26.6) 5.5 (38.5)
1977 prescribed fire 0.1 (0.8) 75.0 (21.2) 89.5 (13.4)