Epicormic shoots by eucalypts help recovery from bushfire

Epicormic Shoots After Bushfire – Eucalypts

Posted in Indigenous Plants, Post Bushfire Feb 09 on Apr 11, 2010

Since the bushfire about 90% of the eucalypt trees on our bush block shot out epicormic shoots. The eucalyptus trees that haven’t produced and maintained epicormic shoots after a year would be assumed dead. These shoots are a sign of the tree healing and are usually the result of a major trauma event such as when a tree is lopped or after a bushfire event.

Epicormic shoots help the tree make it’s own energy through photosynthesis. They give the tree and any new seedlings growing beneath the tree protection from sunlight and frosts – which is particularly important in the first year after a bushfire event as the soil is very vulnerable to these severe environments with no ground cover and no canopy.

Eucalypt shooting epicormic growth.

Epicormic shoots bud out from the bark of trunks and stems and can be quite fragile if knocked whilst they are young (first few years). Once they grow to a larger size they can grow a stronger bark around them and take on a form like normal branches.

It is important to be aware though that as a recovered injury as epicormic branches become older and heavier they may be more susceptible to falling, particularly under strong winds. It is important to keep an eye out on trees in areas where we move under them while they are healing particularly avoiding being under them during strong winds.

While some of the epicormic shoots can form a strong bark around them like a normal branch many of the epicormic leaves and branches will eventually fall to the ground. This provides much needed nutrients to the soil and habitat such as leaf litter, logs & branches that may have been lost in an event such as bushfire. Where the epicormic shoots break away from the tree may also cause the tree to form future hollows where they have disturbed the bark of the tree. Hollows in trees and leaf litter, logs & branches on the ground are extremely important habitats for our local wildlife by providing them with neccessary food and shelter.

Epicormic shoots really assist the tree in survival through the first few years until they can grow more stable structures such as branches in the canopy or form new trunks from lignotuber shoots.

Share this post