Scots Pine
Family: Pinaceae
Pinus sylvestris
Fire effect on plant
Young Scots pine trees are easily killed by fire but mature trees can survive.
Key traits
Scots pine is a medium sized evergreen tree, reaching heights of 15-30 m at maturity (Dallimore & Jackon, 1948). Scots pine can develop a tap root (1.5-3.0 m deep), particularly on sandy soils, otherwise most of the roots are horizontal and within 20 cm of the soil surface (Skilling 1990). The bark of the lower part of the stem is thick and fissured, whilst on the upper part of the stem the bark is thin and papery (Carlisle & Brown, 1968). This thick lower bark means surface fires inflict low mortality on mature trunks of the Scots pine, however such fires can kill Young Scots pine trees due to their thin bark and shallow roots (Linder et al 1998).
Scots pine seeds are moderately resistant to heat damage, and have a good chance of surviving fire when buried. Seed germination is good even at depths of up to 10 cm (Uggla, 1959).
Plant response to fire
Scots pine survival through fire is greatly linked to tree size (and therefore age). In a surface and crown wildfire in Scotland, all Scots pine less than 5 cm diameter at breast height were killed outright, whilst trees greater than 38 cm in diameter survived (Sykes & Horrill, 1981). However, very severe fire will kill even mature trees with stand-replacing fires killing nearly all trees (Uggla, 1958). The shallow rooting depth of this species means high-severity fire may greatly damage the root system of Scots pine, especially fine roots, although the rapid regrowth of root biomass after fire may restore lost root function (Smirnova et al 2008).
Fire is suggested to be an effective tool for the restoration of Scots pine (Hancock et al 2005). Prescribed fire prior to seedling planting may enhance establishment in heather moorland by reducing the depth of the moss layer and the height of shrubs, both of which inhibit establishment in this species (McVean, 1961; Edwards, 1981; Zackrisson et al, 1997). In a Scottish moorland, enhanced Scots pine seedling establishment in years 1 and 2 following a prescribed fire was c. 3.5 times higher on burnt heather moorland than adjacent unburnt areas (Hancock et al, 2005).
Timing of History
Long-lived perennial. Scots pine starts to produce seed from 10 - 15 years of age. Flowering May to June.
Conservation Status
None.
References
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris
Family: Pinaceae
Plant response to fire
Young Scots pine trees are easily killed by fire but mature trees can survive.
Key traits
Scots pine is a medium sized evergreen tree, reaching heights of 15-30 m at maturity (Dallimore & Jackon, 1948). Scots pine can develop a tap root (1.5-3.0 m deep), particularly on sandy soils, otherwise most of the roots are horizontal and within 20 cm of the soil surface (Skilling 1990). The bark of the lower part of the stem is thick and fissured, whilst on the upper part of the stem the bark is thin and papery (Carlisle & Brown, 1968). This thick lower bark means surface fires inflict low mortality on mature trunks of the Scots pine, however such fires can kill Young Scots pine trees due to their thin bark and shallow roots (Linder et al 1998).
Scots pine seeds are moderately resistant to heat damage, and have a good chance of surviving fire when buried. Seed germination is good even at depths of up to 10 cm (Uggla, 1959).
Plant response to fire
Scots pine survival through fire is greatly linked to tree size (and therefore age). In a surface and crown wildfire in Scotland, all Scots pine less than 5 cm diameter at breast height were killed outright, whilst trees greater than 38 cm in diameter survived (Sykes & Horrill, 1981). However, very severe fire will kill even mature trees with stand-replacing fires killing nearly all trees (Uggla, 1958). The shallow rooting depth of this species means high-severity fire may greatly damage the root system of Scots pine, especially fine roots, although the rapid regrowth of root biomass after fire may restore lost root function (Smirnova et al 2008).
Fire is suggested to be an effective tool for the restoration of Scots pine (Hancock et al 2005). Prescribed fire prior to seedling planting may enhance establishment in heather moorland by reducing the depth of the moss layer and the height of shrubs, both of which inhibit establishment in this species (McVean, 1961; Edwards, 1981; Zackrisson et al, 1997). In a Scottish moorland, enhanced Scots pine seedling establishment in years 1 and 2 following a prescribed fire was c. 3.5 times higher on burnt heather moorland than adjacent unburnt areas (Hancock et al, 2005).
Timing of History
Long-lived perennial. Scots pine starts to produce seed from 10 - 15 years of age. Flowering May to June.
Conservation Status
None.
References
Carlisle, A., & Brown, A. H. F. (1968). Pinus Sylvestris L. Journal of Ecology, 56(1), 269–307. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Dallimore, W. & Jackson, A. B. (1948). A Handbook of Coniferae. London. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Edwards, I., 1981. The conservation of the Glen Tanar pinewood, near Aboyne, Aberdeenshire. Scott. Forestry 35, 173–178. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Hancock M, Egan S, Summers R, Cowie N, Amphlett A, Rao S, Hamilton A (2005) The effect of experimental prescribed fire on the establishment of Scots pine Pinus sylvestris seedlings on heather Calluna vulgaris moorland. Forest Ecology and Management, Volume 212; 199-213. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Linder, P., Jonsson, P., Niklasson, M. 1998. Tree mortality after prescribed burning in an old-growth Scots pine forest in northern Sweden. Silva Fennica 32: 339–349. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
McVean, D.N., 1961. Experiments on the ecology of Scots pine seedlings. Empire Forestry Rev. 40, 291–300. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Skilling, Darroll D. 1990. Pinus sylvestris L. Scots pine. In: Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H., technical coordinators. Silvics of North America. Volume 1. Conifers. Agric. Handb. 654. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 489-496. [Empirical evidence; grey literature]
Smirnova E, Bergeron Y, Brais S, and Granström A. (2008) Postfire root distribution of Scots pine in relation to fire behaviour. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 38(2): 353-362. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Sykes, J. M.; Horrill, A. D. 1981. Recovery of vegetation in a Caledonian pinewood after fire. Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburg. 43: 317-325.[Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Uggla, Evald. 1959. Ecological effects of fire on north Swedish forests. Almqvist and Wiksells. 18 p.[Empirical evidence; Academic literature]
Zackrisson, O., Nilsson, M.C., Dahlberg, A., Ja ̈derlund, A., 1997. Interference mechanisms in conifer-Ericaceae-feathermoss communities. Oikos 78 (2), 209–220. [Empirical evidence; Academic literature]