(Photo: Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight)

FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : Knobcone pine is an obligate fire type with a strict closed-cone habit. An understanding of current structural conditions and disturbance history is a requisite for optimal management of forest ecosystems, especially for serotinous species such as knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata Lemmon). Knobcone pine (pictured below) have seed cones that require the heat of a fire to open. Serotiny is prevalent in Coulter pine/chaparral, Coulter pine-canyon live oak, and Coulter pine/Sargent cypress communities. This adaptation, along with the general absence of animal agents that might open cones, leaves the species dependent upon stand-replacing crown fire for reproduction.

It is a small, shrubby tree that often has multiple tops, not making it desirable for many commercial products. The cones remain closed for many years until a fire opens them and allows reseeding.

FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : Coulter pine displays ecotypical variation in degree of cone serotiny. Knobcone pine cones release seeds during fires and they quickly grow in dense thickets that promote more severe fire behavior, fire officials said. Continued production and accumulation of cones throughout the life of a tree assures that large quantities of seed are released when fire … This adaptation, along with the general absence of animal agents that might open cones, leaves the species dependent upon stand-replacing crown fire for reproduction. Fire is important to this community because the tiny seeds of the giant sequoia must fall on partially burned or bare mineral soil to germinate successfully. The seeds are protected from fire behind tightly closed resin-coated scales, often so well insulated that even when the outer part of the cone is charred, the seeds inside are protected. These traits can help plants and animals increase their survival rates during a fire and/or reproduce offspring after a fire. Fire adaptations are life history traits of plants and animals that help them survive wildfire or to utilize resources created by wildfire. This adaptation, along with the general absence of animal agents that might open cones, leaves the species dependent upon stand-replacing crown fire for reproduction.

[citation needed] As a result, the cones may even become embedded in the trunk as the tree grows.

The knobcone pine, Pinus attenuata, (also called Pinus tuberculata) is a tree that grows in mild climates on poor soils.It ranges from the mountains of southern Oregon to Baja California with the greatest concentration in northern California and the Oregon-California border. The knobcone pine, often a poster child for closed-cone pines that need fire to reproduce, doesn’t produce viable seeds until it is at least a decade old. A Medium Cone Size, the cone is easy to work with and very hardy from the Knobcone Pine Tree in a select region of California. Both plants and animals have multiple strategies for surviving and reproducing after fire. The amazing thing is that very commonly a fire is only hot enough close to the ground. In a laboratory setting, sealed cones require exposure to

The experiment tested fire adaptive strategy (resisters vs. evaders), This experiment studied burning characteristics of pine cones as a separate fuel component. rowaenus and Ribes malvaceum var. Consequently a stand of young seedlings spawned by one fire may become victims of the next should it come before the seeds have matured. Continued production and accumulation of cones throughout the life of a tree assures that large quantities of seed are released when fire …

The knobcone pine needs temperatures above 350 degrees F just to spread its seed. Ceanothus papillosus var. Closed-cone coniferous trees show other adaptations to fire. Cones of fire resisters ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, longleaf pine, and south Florida slash pine, and cones of fire evaders Monterey pine, knobcone pine, sand pine, and pond pine were burned in a fire chamber. _____ has thick bark, which is an adaptation to prevent fire damage Knobcone pine Coulter pine Both (a) & (b) Neither (a) nor (b) ... this species develops seeds within 5 years of a fire Chamise Manzanita Coulter Pine Knobcone Pine.