HERBACEOUS SPECIES RESPONSE 



The most abundant native species on the burn is 

 pinegrass. Pinegrass maintains itself in dense forest 

 shade but only produces seed in forest openings. Spring 

 and summer regrowth and spread in 1978 were from 

 rhizomes. It also bloomed profusely during the summer 

 of 1978 (fig. 15) and seedlings were observed during the 

 1979-1981 seasons. Cover increases in 1982 may reflect 

 this new growth. Postfire behavior of pinegrass and 

 some other herbs is foimd in table 15. 



Common fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) is widely 

 distributed on the burn with low mean cover values of 

 less than one percent. It resprouted from roots 

 (sometimes considered as rhizomes) during spring of 

 1978 in many ravines and possibly on upland sites. 

 Blooming the first season was profuse on the scattered 

 surviving plants, producing light, wind-blown seeds. 



Both heartleaf arnica and broadleaf arnica [A. latifolia) 

 are present on the bum. Heartleaf arnica is more 

 generally distributed, while broadleaf arnica is restricted 

 to ravine side slopes. Conspicuous aster is also 

 rhizomatous, with wind-blown seeds. The arnicas form 

 clumps similar to those produced by rhizomatous shrubs 

 and have dispersed Uttle otherwise; the aster is more 

 generally distributed and forms only small clumps. 



Two other widely distributed ground layer species eire 

 creeping Oregon-grape (Berberis repens), a low subshrub 

 considered in this study with the herbaceous layer, and 

 western meadowrue. They are stoloniferous or 



Figure 15.— Pinegrass in bloom during sum- 

 mer 1978. 



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