Seedling establishment is the most common method of postire regeneration.
Deer brush is apparently a weak sprouter after fire.
Fires perpetuated a mosaic of age classes on chaparral landscapes, which decreased the chances for widespread fires. Deer brush appears to be important in early postfire succession but only a minor species in mature mixed-conifer forest. Deer brush in the understory of mixed coniferous forest is usually decadent, and decadent plants show poor sprouting response after top-kill.