SCIENCE@home

Age structure and regeneration after fire in a self-sown Pinus halepensis forest on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa

D. Richardson

Published 1988 in South African Journal of Botany

ABSTRACT

Pinus halepensis, introduced into South Africa from the Mediterranean basin in the mid-nineteenth century, has become an important weed in the fire-prone mountain fynbos of the Cape Province. The age structure in a self-sown stand of P. halepensis at Miller’s Point near Simonstown was determined in 1986 from counts of growth rings. The oldest tree at the site was 58 years old but only two of the 657 trees that made up the 1986 stand were present before the last fire in 1972. Nearly 50% of the surviving trees established within 1 year of the last fire and less than 1 % of the surviving trees established more than 4 years after the last fire. Seedling regeneration after a fire in part of the stand in March 1986 was prolific and an average of 465 seedlings were counted on six 50-m 2 plots 8 months after the fire. The survival and proliferation of P. halepensis is ascribed to the early attainment of reproductive maturity and the ability of seeds to germinate and establish in the immediate post-fire environment.

PUBLICATION RECORD

CITATION MAP

EXTRACTION MAP

CLAIMS

  • No claims are published for this paper.

CONCEPTS

  • No concepts are published for this paper.

REFERENCES

Showing 1-9 of 9 references · Page 1 of 1

CITED BY

Showing 1-37 of 37 citing papers · Page 1 of 1