Post-Fire Vegetation Response in the Bishop Pine Forest at Point Reyes National Seashore

The eff ect of the 1995 fi re on the regeneration, composition and cover of the Bishop Pine (Pinus muricata) forest at Point Reyes National Seashore is examined. The human-caused fi re burned over 12,000 acres in and around the National Seashore engulfi ng most of the bishop pine forest along Inverness Ridge, where fi re intensity was the greatest. Bishop pine is a closed-cone pine that typically needs fi re in order to regenerate. Past fi re suppression policies created a forest of mostly senescent trees with little regeneration. Vegetation data were collected in 1996 and 1997 by sampling transects and quadrats noting species composition, cover, and number of seedlings present. Bishop pine seedling densities after the fi re were high, yet vari able. Overall seedling density decreased over the two years of study, but remained high. Signifi cant increases in blue blossom (Ceanothus thyrsifl orus), fi reweed (Erechtites minima), lupine (Lupinus arboreus), and huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) were observed over the sampling time. Spe cies diversity increased over time. An inverse relationship between fi reweed (E. minima) (an exotic species) and seedling sur viv al and density was detected, although long-term eff ects appear minimal. These data pro vide a baseline for long-term fi re recovery with this National Seashore surrounded by an urban environment.