Moderately fire resistant. Can sprout from the base of fire killed stems or from rhizomes. Well adapted for sprouting after fire because rhizomes are located in mineral soil. Severe fires which remove organic soil kill shallow rhizomes, leaving alive only those rhizome portions growing in mineral soil. Seeds are fire resistant, and germination may be stimulated by fire.
Fire usually kills aboveground parts of prickly rose.
In the Great Lakes region, less frequent on severely burned sites than on lightly burned sites, although its degree of dominance is similar for burned and unburned sites. Sprouts after fire in Black Spruce, but it is not competitive with Black Spruce. Larger fur-bearing mammals such as bears, rabbits, and beaver eat hips, stems, and foliage of roses. Wild rose hips are probably not as palatable to birds as other fruits, remaining on the shrubs, providing an important winter resource. Native Americans made medicinal tea from wild roses which was used as a remedy for diarrhea and stomach maladies.