Bicycle Bill wrote:I read that the giant sequoia (and possibly the redwood) depends on fire not so much to free or release its seeds but because the tree itself is shade-averse and requires open sunlight to germinate and sprout. Wildfires knock down much of the existing canopy, allowing the sunlight a clear and unhindered path to the ground. -"BB"-
I recall seeing that many evergreens (most common being the white and lodgepole pines, IIRC) do depend on fire to release their seeds from cones.
True, but I remember catching them as they twirled to the ground from the tree, breaking open the shell and having a truly natural snack. Which experience caused me to be surprised by BB's and Jarl's understanding that certain trees required fire to have their cones release the nuts, but there is plenty of authority online to support that. Glad to learn something new and it's only Monday!
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”