Figure 9.--Scouler willow (S. scouleriana) resprouting 1 and 2 years after fire. 

 Note the dense growth of Moldavica in the ground layer vegetation. 



One shrub species from the prefire community has evidently disappeared, but two others 

 are increasing in importance . Mountain ash (Sorbus scopulina ) was eliminated by burning and 

 probably will not reappear until birds bring in new seeds. On the other hand, snowbrush (C. 

 velutinus) is not now a dominant species because it did not resprout, but 92 percent of the fre- 

 quency quadrats contain snowbrush seedlings. Finally, elderberry ( Sambucus racemosa ) was 

 present before the fire but was not recorded in the shrub layer sample. Two years after 

 the fire, quick resprouting had raised elderberry to the third largest volume component of the 

 shrub stand. 



Two shrub species demonstrated peculiar regrowth patterns that appear to be artifacts of 

 sampling but may in fact be normal. Although the small number of samples precludes a mean- 

 ingful statistical test, measurements of both serviceberry and snowberry ( Symphoricarpos 

 oreophilus) indicate a loss of crown volume between the first and second postfire periods. 

 Photographs of representative plants confirm a thin, spreading crown of vigorous shoots in the 

 first year followed by twig growth to a more compact and dense-leafed crown in the second year. 



Trees on the Neal Canyon site are not yet large or dense enough to be detected in the 

 samples. However, the few lodgepole pines on the site have abundantly spot- seeded limited 

 areas, and the planted Douglas -fir has survived well and has made very satisfactory growth. 



DISCUSSION 



The first 2 years following a fire are a relatively insignificant part of the time required 

 for development of a forest community. Yet these years are extremely important, because so 

 many irreversible patterns are established by an initial surge of plant growth on a bare mineral 

 seedbed. In the Neal Canyon site, some early developments, particularly the appearance of 

 new herbaceous species, were surprising. Other unexpected occurrences are certainly possible, 

 but barring another major disturbance it appears that the vegetal evolution and wildlife habitat 

 potential of this forest site have been established. 



Perhaps the most important result of this fire was the rehabilitation of big-game forage 

 plants. Although shrubs in the second year had reached only 63 percent of the total crown vol- 

 ume recorded before the fire, forage values had at least doubled. Maple and willow accounted 



11 



