Species sensitivity to fire depends on four broad strategies:

1) Protection from burn injury: In order for trees to survive fire, vascular systems that circulate water and sap need to remain intact. Stem physical protection, or the ability to reduce heat transmission through the outer layers (e.g., thick bark), is the main adaptation to protect their vascular system. Additionally, fire intensity and tree to tree spread are influenced by certain leaf traits and crown properties that either promote or mitigate flammability.

2) Population recovery by vegetative propagation: Species’ resprouting ability is determined mainly by the location of plant tissues capable of producing new shoots (i.e. meristematic tissues) and their degree of protection. When fire intensity is low, species with underground meristems are protected from heat and have higher survival probability. The type of vegetative reproduction and whether or not it is stimulated by fire will also influence the speed of population recovery, particularly for species whose clones can spread over a large area.   

3) Population recovery by seed: Protecting seeds from fire through aerial or soil seed banks, or via protective structures, ensures a direct seed source on-site to re-establish populations. On the other hand, when species lack these adaptations or when fires are very intense, seeds must disperse from the unburnt forest, making dispersal ability and seed production crucial mechanisms. Additionally, the ability of seeds to germinate in exposed mineral soils or burnt substrates will influence post-fire recruitment success.

4) Adaptation to shorter fire intervals: When successive fires occur over a short time period, species may not have had the time to re-establish, even for species that are adapted to fire. When this happens, species that reach sexual maturity rapidly have a higher chance of persisting through the next fire. Also, species with seeds that remain viable for long periods in the soil are more likely to re-establish after successive fires.