Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Introductory
SPECIES: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Uchytil, Ronald J. 1991. Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii.
In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/psemenm/all.html [].
ABBREVIATION :
PSEMENM
SYNONYMS :
Pseudotsuga menziesii var. viridis (Schwerin) Franco
Pseudotsuga taxifolia Lamb.
SCS PLANT CODE :
PSME
COMMON NAMES :
coast Douglas-fir
Oregon Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name of Douglas-fir is Pseudotsuga
menziesii (Mirb.) Franco [43]. Two varieties are recognized, based on
foliage color, cone form, growth rate, and environmental requirements
[29]:
Pseudotsuga var. menziesii - coast Douglas-fir, the "green" variety, is indigenous
west of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains
Pseudotsuga var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco - Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir, the "blue"
variety, is native to the Rocky
Mountains and interior mountains of the
Pacific Northwest
Information reported here is for coast Douglas-fir only. Rocky Mountain
Douglas-fir is described in a separate FEIS review.
LIFE FORM :
Tree
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Coast Douglas-fir grows from west-central British Columbia southward to
central California. In Oregon and Washington its range is continuous
from the Cascades west to the Pacific Ocean. In California, it is found
in the Klamath and Coast ranges as far south as the Santa Cruz
Mountains, and in the Sierra Nevada as far south as the Yosemite Region
[31,43]. Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir occurs east of the Sierra Nevada
and Cascade Mountain Ranges.
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES23 Fir - spruce
FRES24 Hemlock - Sitka spruce
FRES26 Lodgepole pine
FRES27 Redwood
FRES28 Western hardwoods
STATES :
CA HI OR WA BC
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
1 Northern Pacific Border
2 Cascade Mountains
3 Southern Pacific Border
4 Sierra Mountains
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K001 Spruce - cedar - hemlock forest
K002 Cedar - hemlock - Douglas-fir forest
K003 Silver fir - Douglas-fir forest
K004 Fir - hemlock forest
K005 Mixed conifer forest
K006 Redwood forest
K010 Ponderosa shrub forest
K025 Alder - ash forest
K026 Oregon oakwoods
K028 Mosaic of K002 and K026
K029 California mixed evergreen forest
SAF COVER TYPES :
211 White fir
213 Grand fir
218 Lodgepole pine
221 Red alder
222 Black cottonwood - willow
223 Sitka spruce
224 Western hemlock
225 Western hemlock - Sitka spruce
226 Coastal true fir - hemlock
227 Western redcedar - western hemlock
228 Western redcedar
229 Pacific Douglas-fir
230 Douglas-fir - western hemlock
231 Port-Orford-cedar
232 Redwood
233 Oregon white oak
234 Douglas-fir - tanoak - Pacific madrone
243 Sierra Nevada mixed conifer
244 Pacific ponderosa pine - Douglas-fir
245 Pacific ponderosa pine
246 California black oak
247 Jeffrey pine
248 Knobcone pine
249 Canyon live oak
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Seral coast Douglas-fir communities dominate much of the western hemlock
(Tsuga heterophylla) and Pacific silver fir (Abies amabilis) zones of
western Washington and Oregon [21]. Climax Douglas-fir forests are rare
in the northern and central Cascades, and are restricted to hot, dry
sites which commonly occur on south- or southwest-facing slopes at low
elevations [50]. Climax Douglas-fir forests increase southward from
central Oregon. In southwestern Oregon and northern California,
Douglas-fir is a widespread climax dominant or codominant. It is
probably the most abundant tree in the mixed-conifer zone, but its
abundance tends to decrease and that of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)
increase north to south within this zone [21]. Associates in the
mixed-conifer zone include ponderosa pine, sugar pine (P. lambertiana),
incense-cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), and white fir (Abies concolor)
[21]. In the mixed-evergreen zone, Douglas-fir dominates at climax with
tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus), Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii),
canyon live oak (Quercus chrysolepis), giant chinquapin (Chrysolepsis
chrysophylla), sugar pine, ponderosa pine, and incense-cedar [21,64].
Published classifications listing coast Douglas-fir as a dominant in
cover types, community types (cts), or plant associations (pas) are
listed below:
Area Classification Authority
WA: North Cascades NP forest cover types Agee & Kertis 1987
WA: Olympic Mtns forest cts Fonda & Bliss 1969
WA: Mount Rainier NP forest cts Franklin & others 1988
WA: Gifford Pinchot NF western hemlock pas Topik & others 1986
WA: Gifford Pinchot NF grand fir pas Topik 1989
OR, WA general veg. cts Franklin & Dyrness 1973
OR: Willamette NF general veg. pas Hemstrom & others 1987
OR: Winema NF general veg. pas Hopkins 1979
s OR: Cascade Mtns general veg. pas Atzet & McCrimmon 1990
OR, CA: Siskiyou Mtns general veg. pas Atzet & Wheeler 1984
CA mixed evergreen Sawyer & others 1977
forest cts
CA Redwood & north Zinke 1977
Coast forest cts
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
Coast Douglas-fir is one of the worlds best timber producers and yields
more timber than any other tree in North America [5,19]. The wood is
used for dimensional lumber, timbers, pilings, and plywood [71].
Creosote-soaked pilings and decking are used in marine structures [33].
The wood is also made into railroad ties, mine timbers, house logs,
posts and poles, flooring, veneer, pulp, and furniture [71].
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Coast Douglas-fir seedlings are not a preferred browse of black-tailed
deer or elk, but can be an important food source for these animals
during the winter when other preferred forages are lacking [12,14].
Douglas-fir seeds are an extremely important food for small mammals.
Mice, voles, shrews, and chipmunks consumed an estimated 65 percent of a
Douglas-fir seed crop following dispersal in western Oregon [26]. The
seeds are also important in the diets of the winter wren, pine siskin,
song sparrow, golden-crowned sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, red
crossbill, dark-eyed junco, and purple finch [5,10].
The Douglas squirrel harvests and caches great quantities of Douglas-fir
cones for later use [5]. They also eat mature pollen cones, developing
inner bark, terminal shoots, and tender young needles [49].
Mature or "old-growth" coast Douglas-fir is the primary habitat of the
red tree vole and the spotted owl. Home range requirements for breeding
pairs of spotted owls are at least 1,000 acres (405 ha) of old-growth
[13]. Red tree voles may also be found in immature forests if
Douglas-fir is a significant component. This animal nests almost
exclusively in the foliage of Douglas-fir trees. Nests are located 6 to
157 feet (2-48 m) above the ground. The red vole's diet consists
chiefly of coast Douglas-fir needles [49].
In many areas coast Douglas-fir needles are a staple in the spring diet
of blue grouse [38]. In the winter, porcupines primarily eat the inner
bark of young conifers, especially Douglas-fir [49].
PALATABILITY :
Coast Douglas-fir is a poor livestock browse and is generally avoided.
In the Oregon Coast Range it was most palatable to herded domestic sheep
in the spring soon after bud break but never comprised more than 3
percent of their diet [42].
New growth of seedlings and saplings is highly palatable to black-tailed
deer in the spring and early summer. Douglas-fir palatability to deer
is low during the rest of the year [9].
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
Winter protein content of Douglas-fir browse averaged 7.25 percent in
western Washington [9].
COVER VALUE :
Douglas-fir snags are abundant in forests older than 110 years and
provide cavity-nesting habitat for numerous forest birds [48,65].
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
Coast Douglas-fir is used extensively in landscaping. It is planted as
a specimen tree or in mass screenings. It is also a popular Christmas
tree [40].
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Silviculture: Coast Douglas-fir is regenerated using even-aged
silviculture. The seed tree method is the only even-aged method not
applicable because the residuals are susceptible to windthrow.
Clearcutting followed by planting is the most widely used method.
Forest laws require prompt regeneration following timber harvest. To
ensure compliance, clearcuts are typically planted with Douglas-fir
nursery stock because natural or artificial regeneration from seed is
unreliable [31,76].
Animal damage: Browsing by deer, elk, and rodents can be a major
problem in plantations. Browsing stunts Douglas-fir seedling growth and
increases mortality rates. Most damage occurs within 4 years after
planting; thus measures to reduce browsing damage should occur at this
time. Control measures include (1) planting palatable forbs to reduce
browsing pressure, (2) using physical barriers such as seedling
protectors, and (3) applying repellents [11,12,46].
Site quality: Site quality for Douglas-fir growth in the western
hemlock zone is related to understory species. The fastest (1) to
slowest (5) growth occurs with the following understories [21]:
1. western sword fern (Polystichum munitum)
2. western sword fern-salal (Gaultheria shallon)
3. salal
4. salal-pale green lichen (Parmelia spp.)
5. bearded lichen (Usnea spp.)
Diseases and insects: Shoestring root rot (Armillaria mellea) and
laminated root rot (Phillinus weirii) can cause significant damage in
plantations. Infected trees are killed or weakened and blown over by
wind. Red ring rot (Phillinus pini), a heart rot, causes more damage
than any other decay. The Douglas-fir beetle is the most damaging
insect and often attacks fire-killed or fire-weakened trees [31].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Coast Douglas-fir is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree. Adapted to a
moist, mild climate, it grows bigger and more rapidly than the inland
variety. Trees 5 to 6 feet (150-180 cm) in diameter (150-180 cm) and
250 feet (76 m) or more in height are common in old-growth stands [31].
These trees commonly live more than 500 years and occasionally more than
1,000 years [31]. Old individuals typically have a narrow, cylindric
crown beginning 65 to 130 feet (20-40 m) above a branch-free bole [20].
Self-pruning is generally slow and trees retain their lower limbs for a
long period. Young, open-grown trees typically have branches near the
ground. It often takes 77 years for the bole to be clear to a height of
17 feet (5 m) and 107 years to be clear to a height of 33 feet (10 m)
[31]. In wet coastal forests, nearly every surface of old-growth coast
Douglas-fir is covered by epiphytic mosses and lichens [20].
This tree's rooting habit is not particularly deep. The roots of young
coast Douglas-fir tend to be shallower than roots of the same aged
ponderosa pine, sugar pine, or incense-cedar [54]. Some roots are
commonly found in organic soil layers or near the mineral soil surface
[60]. The bark on young individuals is thin, smooth, gray, and contains
numerous resin blisters. On mature trees the bark is thick (4 to 12
inches [10-30 cm]) and corky [33]. Foliage consists of yellowish-green,
1-inch-long (2.5 cm) needles spirally arranged around the branchlets.
Pendent, 2- to 4-inch-long (5-10 cm) cones are located primarily in the
upper crown.
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Phanerophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Cone and seed production: Appreciable seed production begins at 20- to
30-years of age in open-grown coast Douglas-fir. Seed production is
irregular. Over a 5- to 7-year period, stands usually produce one heavy
crop, a few light or medium crops, and one crop failure [31]. Even
during heavy seed crop years, only about 25 percent of trees in closed
stands produce an appreciable number of cones [31]. Each cone contains
26 to 50 seeds [59]. Seed size varies greatly; average number of
cleaned seeds per pound varies from 32,000 to 40,000 (70,400-88,000/kg)
[59]. Seeds from the northern portion of coast Douglas-fir's range tend
to be larger than seed from the south [31].
Dispersal: Douglas-fir seeds have a relatively large, single wing and
are primarily dispersed by wind and gravity. Most fall within 110 yards (100 m)
of the parent tree, but some may travel much greater distances. On rare
occasions, sites more than 0.5 mile (0.8 km) from a seed source have
reseeded after cutting [19]. Mice, chipmunks, and squirrels
disperse small amounts of seed [28]. Clark's nutcrackers also disperse
Douglas-fir seeds. Unretrieved seeds in Clark's nutcracker caches may
have a better change of establishment than wind-dispersed seed [80,81].
Seed predation: Caching of Douglas-fir cones by the Douglas's squirrel,
and foraging for seeds on the ground by chipmunks, mice, voles, and
birds reduces seed quantity considerably [35]. Insect damage varies
greatly but can be profound. Insects may destroy less than 5 percent of
a large seed crop, but a high percentage of seeds produced in small
crops are often destroyed [67].
Viability: Commonly, less than 40 percent of coast Douglas-fir seeds
are sound [31]. Seed soundness decreases during poor seed crop years.
During poor cone production years in northwestern California, old-growth
Douglas-fir seed soundness averaged 18 percent, while seed soundness was
53 percent in a 49-year-old western Washington stand [67]. Seeds remain
viable for only 1 or occasionally 2 years [35].
Germination and seedling establishment: Germination and seedling
establishment are best on mineral soil seedbeds. Organic seedbeds
generally become too hot and dry during the summer for Douglas-fir
seedlings to survive, but seedlings may tolerate a light litter layer if
the seedbed remains moist [53,76]. Natural stocking of Douglas-fir
following timber harvest is usually highest where site preparation
measures, such as broadcast burning or mechanical scarification, are
used to expose mineral soils [76]. First year seedlings survive and
grow best in partial shade [31,35]. Shading is especially important on
southerly aspects, where it lessens seedbed heating and drying.
Seedling survival and growth on severe sites is generally best in 50
percent shade [76]. Douglas-fir cannot survive, however, under the
dense shade cast by heavy logging slash or competing understory
vegetation [53]. Once established, seedlings require full sunlight.
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Coast Douglas-fir is the most dominant tree species in the Pacific
Northwest, occurring in nearly all forest series, from near sea level
along the coast to above 5,000 feet (1,524 m) in the Cascades. It
competes well on most parent materials, aspects, and slopes [6]. Pure
stands are common north of the Umpqua River in Oregon [31].
Elevation: In Washington and Oregon, Douglas-fir grows from near sea
level to over 5,000 feet (1,524 m). In the southern Oregon Cascades and
in the northern Sierra Nevada, it is generally occurs between 2,000 and
6,000 feet (609-1,829 m). In the southern Sierra Nevada it is occurs up
to 7,500 feet (2,286 m) [31].
Soils: Douglas-fir grows on a wide variety of parent materials and soil
textures but grows best on well-aerated, deep soils with a pH between 5
and 6 [31]. It grows poorly on oligotrophic soils where calcium,
magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are in low supply [39].
Frost: Coastal Douglas-fir will not tolerate frost below 14 degrees
Fahrenheit (-10 deg C) for more than a week, even if the ground is well
protected against freezing by snow [39].
Tree Associates: See SAF Cover Types and Habitat Types And Plant
Communities for overstory associates.
Understory Associates: Shrub associates in the central and northern
part of coast Douglas-fir's range include vine maple (Acer circinatum),
salal, Pacific rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum), Oregon grape
(Berberis nervosa), red huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium), and
salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis). In the drier, southern portion of its
range shrub associates include California hazel (Corylus cornuta var.
californica), oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor), creeping snowberry
(Symphoricarpos mollis), western poison-oak (Toxicodendron
diversilobum), ceanothus (Ceanothus spp.), and manzanita (Arctostaphylos
spp.) [31].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Coast Douglas-fir is a major, long-lived seral dominant of low and
middle elevation moist forests from southwestern British Columbia to
northwestern California [21]. In these forests it is shade intolerant
and requires stand-destroying disturbance (wildfire, logging, extensive
windthrow) to initiate a new cohort of seedlings. Today, extensive
areas of western Washington and Oregon are covered by seral, nearly pure
stands of Douglas-fir that seeded in rapidly following logging and
wildfire [21]. This species is extremely long-lived. Stands 350 to 750
years old are subclimax and may contain a significant component of
Douglas-fir for several more centuries [20]. Without disturbance, these
stands will eventually give way to shade-tolerant associates such as
western hemlock, western redcedar (Thuja plicata), and Pacific silver
fir, but it may take 1,000 or more years for Douglas-fir to be fully
replaced [20,21]. This longevity allows Douglas-fir to persist until
the next disturbance, ensuring a seed supply for postdisturbance
establishment.
On drier sites, Douglas-fir is more shade-tolerant and may assume climax
dominance. It is more shade tolerant than ponderosa pine, sugar pine,
western white pine (Pinus monticola), lodgepole pine (P. contorta),
incense cedar, and noble fir (Abies procera) but less shade tolerant
than white fir [36,54]. In the white fir zone of northern California,
Douglas-fir is seral, but as sites become drier it may assume climax
dominance [63]. Similarly, it is a seral component in moist redwood
(Sequoia sempervirens) forests, but as sites become drier farther
inland, redwood gives way to mixed evergreen forests codominated by
Douglas-fir, Pacific madrone, and tanoak [64].
In the Cascades, Douglas-fir is seral throughout most of the western
hemlock zone. However, it achieves climax on lower elevation hot and
dry sites, which are typically southeast- to west-facing slopes [2,15].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
The phenology of coast Douglas-fir is influenced greatly by latitude and
elevation. Flowering occurs during March and April in the warmer parts
of its range and as late as May or June in colder areas [31]. The cones
mature in one growing season and are normally ripe by late August or
early September. Cones open as they dry, so wet fall weather can delay
seedfall. Approximately 70 to 90 percent of the seeds are dispersed by
November 1, with the remainder falling during winter [59]. Cones remain
on the tree 1 or more years after seed dispersal [59].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Plant adaptations to fire: Coast Douglas-fir is more fire resistant
than many of its associates and can survive moderately intense fires.
Thick, corky bark on the lower bole and roots protects the cambium from
heat damage. In addition, the tall trees have their foliage
concentrated on the upper bole, which makes it difficult for fire to
reach the crown [58]; however, it should be noted that trees are
typically not free of lower branches up to a height of 33 feet (10 m)
until they are more than 100 years old [31]. Moderately severe
understory burns in 50- to 60-year-old mixed and pure stands near Mount
Rainier caused little cambial injury to Douglas-fir but killed most of
the thin-barked western redcedar [68]. Following the Hoh Fire in
Olympic National Park, Douglas-fir's survival rate was considerably
higher than Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), western redcedar, western
hemlock, and bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) [3].
When trees are killed, Douglas-fir relies on wind-dispersed seed
off-site trees to colonize the burned area. If catastrophic fires are
extensive, a seed source may be limited due to the lack of seed trees.
Under these circumstances, seeds come from mature trees which survive
fire, survivors in small unburned pockets, or from trees adjacent to the
burned area. Where seed trees are scarce, it may take 100 years or more
for Douglas-fir to restock the burned area [65]. On the other extreme,
when fires do not kill all the trees in a stand, seedling establishment
may begin within a year or two after burning [34]. Mineral soils
exposed by fire are generally considered favorable seedbeds [17].
Fire regime: Widely distributed as a canopy dominant in lower and
middle elevation forests throughout the Pacific Northwest, Douglas-fir
occupies forests with varied fire regimes. In general, the size and
severity of natural fires tend to decrease, while fire frequency
increases southward from western Washington to northern California [58].
In western Washington, Douglas-fir is a primary component of moist
forests experiencing infrequent, widespread, stand-replacing fires that
occur at perhaps 400- to 500-year intervals [27,45]. Dry areas of the
western hemlock zone in the central Oregon Cascades experience both
frequent, low- to moderate-severity fires and stand-replacing fires
[58]. The mean fire interval in these forests is between 50 and 150
years [45,51]. Frequent, low- to moderate-severity fires occasionally
crown and create patches of even-aged stands. Underburning is more
common and allows Douglas-fir to survive repeated fires. Thus
uneven-aged old-growth Douglas-fir stands are more common in the central
Oregon Cascades [58,66]. In mixed evergreen forests of southern Oregon
and northern California, fires occurred at frequencies of 5 to 25 years
[45]. Where Douglas-fir is seral, its great longevity allows it to
maintain itself as a canopy dominant until the next catastrophic fire
[34].
FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
taxon may occur by entering the plant name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
off-site colonizer; seed carried by wind; postfire years 1 and 2
secondary colonizer; off-site seed carried to site after year 2
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Trees: Crown fires commonly kill all trees over extensive areas. Hot
ground fires that scorch tree crowns and char tree boles kill variable
proportions of coast Douglas-fir [3]. Rapidly spreading ground fires
tend to inflict more damage to Douglas-fir crowns, while slow spreading
ground fires are damaging to the bole and can kill trees through cambial
heating [60]. Crown scorching from summer fires is more damaging than
late summer or fall fires because more buds are killed. During late
summer the buds are set and subsequent-year needles are well protected
[75]. Seedlings and saplings are susceptible to and may be killed by
even low-intensity ground fires [74].
Seed: Temperatures in excess of 140 degrees F (60 C) are lethal to
Douglas-fir seeds. Thus most seeds on the forest floor will be
destroyed by fire [35]. Crown fires will kill seeds in green cones;
however, green cones are relatively good insulators and are not highly
flammable, and fires that not excessively hot often only scorch the
cones. Seeds can mature in scorched cones on fire-killed trees, and
later disperse onto the burned area [35].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
The Hoh Fire in June 1978 burned 1,230 acres (500 ha) of montane and
subalpine coniferous forests. The montane forest was composed primarily
of 400- to 500-year-old western hemlock and Douglas-fir. About 10
percent of this forest type was consumed by a crown fire, while most of
the remaining forest experienced a hot ground fire with considerable
crown scorching. All trees less than 10 feet (3 m) tall were killed.
Mortality of overstory trees was high, but Douglas-fir suffered the
least. The fire reduced the basal area of all species as follows:
bigleaf maple 100 %
western hemlock 80%
western redcedar 50 %
Sitka spruce 50 %
coast Douglas-fir 33%
Ninety-one percent of western hemlock overstory trees were killed,
compared with 62 percent of Douglas-fir [3].
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Seedling establishment following fire is dependent on the spacing and
number of surviving seed trees. Seedling establishment following large
stand-destroying fires is slow because seed trees are killed over
extensive areas. After the Tillamook Fire in northwestern Oregon,
seedlings were restricted to areas around scattered survivors and near
the burn edge [77]. Conversely, Douglas-fir can quickly establish a new
cohort of seedlings if there are numerous, well-spaced surviving seed
trees within the burned area. Conifer seedlings were abundant after the
Hoh Fire in Olympic National Park, where 38 percent of mature
Douglas-fir survived. Three years after this fire, there were about
3,400 conifer seedlings per acre (8,400/ha), about half of which were
Douglas-fir [34]. In the northern Cascades, Douglas-fir seedling
frequency was between 80 and 100 percent on three different 4-year-old
burns ranging in size from 55 to 410 acres (22-166 ha) [52].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
The Research Project Summary Plant response to prescribed burning with
varying season, weather, and fuel moisture in mixed-conifer forests of
California provides information on prescribed fire and postfire response
of many plant community species including coast Douglas-fir.
Near the Plumas National Forest, prescribed fire in a mixed-conifer-California
black oak forest with a coast Douglas-fir component successfully reduced fuel load.
When a wildfire burned through the site previously burned under prescription,
fire severity and fire suppression costs were less compared to adjacent land
where fire had been excluded [79]. For further information on this study, see
this Research Paper: A fuel treatment reduces potential fire severity and
increases suppression efficiency in a Sierran mixed conifer forest.
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Natural regeneration following slash burning: The effects of slash
burning on coast Douglas-fir seedling establishment are contradictory.
Some researchers report greater stocking on burned areas, while others
report greater stocking on unburned areas [57]. It appears that
Douglas-fir is favored by slash burning on mesic and wetter sites in the
western hemlock zone. On dry sites, natural regeneration following
broadcast burning is unpredictable, and often poor, due to high soil
temperatures and moisture stress [17].
Following broadcast slash burning in clearcuts in the Coast and Cascade
Ranges in Oregon and Washington, 90 percent of the area is typically
moderately or lightly burned, which provides good seedbeds [53,57].
Severe burning, which retards Douglas-fir regeneration because of
altered physical and chemical soil properties, occurs on less than 10
percent of the area. This is typically where burning stumps produce
intense heat [17]. Minore [55] found that 5-year-old coast Douglas-fir
seedling height was lower on sites where slash was piled and burned than
on broadcast burned sites.
On erodible granitic soils of the Klamath National Forest, hand planted
Douglas-fir seedlings were 7 times more numerous on unburned than on
burned plots, 6 years after planting [67].
Models: Peterson and Arbaugh [60] present a model for predicting
postfire survival of coast Douglas-fir in the Cascades. The model uses
crown and bole damage variables to predict survival.
Salvage logging: Typically less than 3 percent of all merchantable
timber in coast Douglas-fir stands is consumed by forest fires.
Deterioration rates vary with tree size and wood type. Very little
sapwood can be salvaged 3 years after fire, but heartwood deteriorates
more slowly. Salvage has been carried out for 1 to 2 years in
young-growth stands, 4 to 7 years in intermediate stands, and for 5 to
10 years in old-growth stands [37].
Duff reduction: Duff consumption by prescribed burning can be predicted
using weather and fuel variables on cut-over Douglas-fir sites.
Generally, most duff is burned when the moisture content of the upper
duff is below 30 percent. When the upper duff layer exceeds 120 percent
moisture content no combustion takes place. Between these values, the
percentage of duff consumed depends on the amount and moisture content
of fine woody fuels [44,62].
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
REFERENCES :
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