Nearly every tree species affected by the Tubbs and Nuns fires has a strategy for returning. Some, such as coast live oak, have thick bark and may still be standing with green canopies hanging over blackened understory in places such as Sonoma Valley Regional Park. Trees in this condition will be helped in the years to come because the competition around their bases is gone. If burned, coast live oak have an amazing ability to sprout from the trunk. This can happen as quickly as two months after a fire or sometimes as long as two to three years. It all depends on how much energy is stored in their roots and how the weather plays out.
For plants that didn’t survive the fires or can’t regrow, many have put down abundant seed into the soil. This “natural seed bank” is critical for recovery. In sites where the burn severity is low to moderate, the seed bank will readily respond in the months to come. Plants like the manzanita on Hood Mountain’s ridges largely depend on this strategy. Their seeds can persist for more than 40 years under the shade of their parent plants and only germinate after fire.
For more severely burned sites, birds, animals, and the wind will bring in seed. The Knobcone pine is a tree controlled exclusively by fire. Only temperatures of 400 degrees or more can melt their cones and release their seeds. Knobcones have long “wings” attached to their seeds, so the seeds can catch drafts and travel miles. Knobcone pine are doing this in real time right now on the highest points in Hood Mountain.
The forests and wildlife of Sonoma County will be resilient as they have for thousands of years. The parklands will recover and rebuild.
To read more of the article authored by Melanie Parker, Sonoma County Regional Park’s Deputy Director and Natural Resource Manager, please click here.
Comments (0)