Trifolium thompsonii stand conditions following a wildfire event in the Entiat Mountains of Central Washington

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Trifolium thompsonii (Thompson's clover) is listed as a threatened legume of the Eastern Cascades where wildfire is the dominant disturbance agent Previous research suggested fire suppression adversely impacts populations of this species. Recent fires in parts of Thompson*s clover range indicate that Thompson's clover responds favorable to fire disturbance. Four areas of Thompson's clover habitat were sampled for vegetation composition and structure. Thompson's clover stands were evaluated for species density and morphological expression. In areas of recent fire, Thompson's clover individuals were significantly taller (means of range 32-25 cm) and had greater numbers of flowerheads (means of range 4 to 1 per plant) than on sites with no recent fire activity, suggesting a Thompson's clover response to fire caused resource release. This information combined with a species density ranging 0.6 to 4.8 plants m2 suggests that Thompson's clover appears to achieve optimum stand conditions on sites where periodic grass-shrub eliminating fires occur. Re-establishment of historical fire effects may be a key to improved management of landscapes in which fire responsive species such as Thompson's clover are components.

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Reference Code: A97SCH02IDUS

Full Citation: Scherer, G., R. Everett, and B. Zamora. 1997. Trifolium thompsonii stand conditions following a wildfire event in the Entiat Mountains of Central Washington. Pages 245-252 in J. M. Greenlee, editor, Proceedings - first conference on fire effects on rare and endangered species and habitats, November 13-15, 1995, Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. International Association of Wildland Fire.

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