In general, if temperatures become warmer and the forest becomes drier, this species would be expected to decrease. Ground pine is a native, perennial, evergreen clubmoss. It has long rhizomes which give rise to scattered aerial stems. Ground pine can comprise a significant part of the understory. More commonly, it accounts for less than one percent ground cover.
Ground pine is considered a mid-seral species.
Rhizomes present in the litter layer are likely to be damaged by fire. The aboveground portion of ground pine is killed by fire. In one case, it was observed in the fifth growing month after a burn, which was actually about a year later. In areas where the species is very rare, reestablishment after a fire may be difficult. Ecographs of shrubs and other undergrowth species of Minnesota forest communities.