Bur Oak Surrounded by its Leaf Litter
Photo of Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa)
This picture illustrates multiple fire adaptations of Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa). The thick bark insulates against fire. The distinctive leaf shape, with curving side-veins, makes dead leaves curl, causing them to sit upright on the ground. This leads the litter to dry out, even in the moist bottomlands where they occur. The dry litter promotes low-intensity ground fires, which protect the bur oak both by killing less fire-tolerant trees that might outcompete the bur oak, and also by removing fuel, so as to prevent more severe crown fire that the bur oak could not withstand. This mechanism is a key factor in the maintenance of bur oak savannas, common at the border of the Great Plains and Eastern Temperate Forests.
