Juniper haircap moss has been described as a fire follower (Fryer 2008). It can survive fire and rapidly colonised newly burned sites (Fryer 2008). Its ground buried rhizoids allows moss to survive surface fires, which is noted as a rare ability in mosses (Fryer 2008). Juniper haircap moss occurs in ecosystems that experience frequent fire/short fire return intervals (Fryer 2008), (likely including UK moorlands that have been rotationally burned- see map from British Bryological Society). It tends to be absent in regions with long fire return intervals following post fire succession, emerging and declining 1 to 20 years post fire (Ryoma and Laaka-Lindberg, 2007). The species is noted as dominated on Scottish heathlands that have been subject to muir burn practices (Hobbs and Gimingham, 1984). This moss therefore seems to favour frequent fire.