Closed Pine Cones Allow Forest Regrowth After Beetle Attack

The closed cones of lodgepole pine on the forest floor provide a seed bank for forests decimated by mountain pine beetles, according to new researchpublished in the American Journal of Botany. Typically these cones only open and release their seeds after a fire. However, seeds that remain enclosed in cones following the beetle-related death of the trees can still germinate one to two decades later. Germination rates were lower after 15 years, and only 50% of the pine seeds germinated after 25 years.

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