Tuesday, April 19, 2022

What happens after a forest fire?

 In evergreen or "coniferous" forests, which are forests full of gymnosperms, some trees have adapted to only "mature" or let their seeds out when exposed to heat. 

This means that during a fire, it will release its seeds from a cone.

These are called "serotinous cones". Read more about them below:

"In environments where hot, fast moving fires are frequent, some pine species have developed very thick, hard cones that are literally glued shut with a strong resin. These “serotinous” cones can hang on a pine tree for years, long after the enclosed seeds mature. Only when a fire sweeps through, melting the resin, do these heat-dependent cones open up, releasing seeds that are then distributed by wind and gravity."
(National Forest Foundation)


Watch this video to see how the cones open up with heat to release their seeds.




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