Fire Effects in Pocosins and Large Shrub Bogs

Plants

Shrubs within pocosins resprout following fires; however, shrub dominance varies with time since fire. Observations indicate that Zenobia dominates soon after fires, but looses dominance to Lyonia and Cyrilla within approximately 5 years (Christensen 1981). Species diversity is highest in pocosins soon after fires when herbaceous vegetation becomes more abundant (Weakley and Schafale 1991).

Ground fires in organic soils are important in the maintenance of plant diversity. Most herbaceous plants are restricted to areas where fire was severe, soils were burned and shrubs were subsequently killed. This is particularly important for rare plants that utilize these habitats in pocosins. Low pocosin has been converted to grassland where 1.5 to 2 feet of soil was consumed (Hungerford et al. 1998). The microtopographic changes created when soils are burned are thought to be important for seedling establishment. Low spots are though to have a more favorable moisture regime than higher surrounding peat, which may stay dry for longer and be less hospitable for seedling establishment (Christensen 1981).

Pocosin above ground biomass often recovers quickly following fire. Burned areas can have up to 25% of the original aboveground biomass within 1 year of the fire (Christensen 1981). This response may be due in part to the increased availability of nutrients released by fire that is otherwise bound up in plant materials (Christensen 1981).

Animals

Almost no information is available on the direct effects of fire on pocosin animals. Intense fires in pocosins may lead to the direct mortality of some animals such as white tailed deer or perhaps small mammals (Wade and Ward 1973). Injuries such as burns on the legs of white tailed deer from falling through a crust of organic soil into a ground fire have also been noted.

Studies on effects of fire on animals within community types other than pocosin indicate that long-term changes in vegetation structure due to fire may affect animals more than other fire-related short-term changes. For instance, a severe fire that creates an herbaceous community from a shrub dominated community, or an intense fire that removes canopy species will affect animal species composition more than fires that change vegetation structure for short periods of time. Animal use of pocosins likely change with time as vegetation recovers, and because pocosins often burn in a mosaic pattern of intensity and severity, spatial patterns of use also likely change. The importance of variable intensity fires and mosaic burn patterns may be important for perpetuation of populations of relatively non-mobile vertebrate species such as mice, rats, shrews and rabbits. More research is needed to understand fire and animal relationships within pocosins.