Forest Fires

[highland03]

How well do maples survive fire?
The land I sugar on just missed being burned. I am wondering how well the land next to ours, that burned, will do!
Some conifers like and need fire for healthy seeding and growth. I am thinking it won't be the same for maples.

[3% Solution]

Highland,
Fire is a natural thing, it produces ash which is a great fertilizer.
They will be fine.
Unless the fire burned deep, which I doubt. No doubt a surface fire.

[Beweller]

Fire is being tested as a control of red maple and a way to promote oak regeneration. At least red maples are sensitive to fire.

[highland03]

Fire is being tested as a control of red maple and a way to promote oak regeneration. At least red maples are sensitive to fire.

Very interesting! We are mostly oaks here as it is and not near enough maples and those are a higher % reds. I will be interested to see what happens with the reds.

[jason grossman]

i have cut timber on land that was burned and prescribed to be burned and maple never fares well. if it was a ground fire with low fuel you may be ok but if the bark on the trees has been scorched and there was a lot of fuel on the ground there probably won't fare so well especailly being on the southern end on the maple region. maple is such a thin bark tree it usually can't take much fire heat. it may take a season or two to see the real damage

[highland03]

i have cut timber on land that was burned and prescribed to be burned and maple never fares well. if it was a ground fire with low fuel you may be ok but if the bark on the trees has been scorched and there was a lot of fuel on the ground there probably won't fare so well especailly being on the southern end on the maple region. maple is such a thin bark tree it usually can't take much fire heat. it may take a season or two to see the real damage

I agree, with such thin bark I have seen many maples lost just to bark and surface damage after wind falls have crashed against them. The woods that burned had a great deal of unburned fuel on the ground before the fire. Being on the edge of the maple region, they are already few & far between on some hillsides.

[jimsudz]

Hey highland03, as I type this I'm looking at the mountains across the valley smoldering(George Washington National forest), I'm visiting my niece in Mt. Jackson. I'm not sure if forest fires are common in this area,it's the first I've seen being from NY. With the odd winter we had their has been red flag warnings in our area of western NY, and some brush fires on Long Island. Hope you get some rain in Va.

[Brandy Brook Maple Farm]

One of our bushes had a small brushfire right by the tank and Pumphouse. We were lucky there was only small amount of damage to our pumphose and despite large amount of underbrush fire was quickly contained. Probably someone carelessly threw a butt out the window.