fireintolerant

Fireintolerant is an adjective used in ecology and forestry to describe organisms, populations, or communities that are unable to withstand fire, experiencing high mortality or limited regeneration after fire events. The term is typically used in contrast to fire-tolerant or fire-adapted species, which possess traits that allow survival or rapid recovery after fire. Etymologically, it is a straightforward construction from 'fire' and 'intolerant' describing sensitivity to fire as a disturbance.

In usage, fireintolerant is applied to species or ecosystems that suffer disproportionately from fire, such as those with thin bark, shallow root systems, little resprouting capacity, or seed regimes that do not post-fire germinate easily. It can describe individuals within a species as well as entire communities. The designation helps explain shifts in species composition following fire and is important in risk assessment and restoration planning in fire-prone landscapes.

Mechanistically, intolerance arises from physical traits, physiological limits, or ecological dependencies that are disrupted by high heat, fuel consumption, or changes in microhabitat after fire. Management implications include prioritizing protection for fireintolerant taxa, designing prescribed burns and thinning to reduce fire severity in areas where fireintolerance is a concern, and selecting species for restoration that can establish after fire.

See also: fire ecology, fire regime, fire-sensitive species, serotiny, resprouting.