diff --git a/mozilla/browser/base/content/browser.js b/mozilla/browser/base/content/browser.js
index e0a4ebd72a7..58d098ff0d4 100644
--- a/mozilla/browser/base/content/browser.js
+++ b/mozilla/browser/base/content/browser.js
@@ -1049,6 +1049,13 @@ function delayedStartup()
   // themselves.
   gBrowser.addEventListener("command", BrowserOnCommand, false);
 
+  // Delayed initialization of the livemarks update timer.
+  // Livemark updates don't need to start until after bookmark UI 
+  // such as the toolbar has initialized. Starting 5 seconds after
+  // delayedStartup in order to stagger this before the download
+  // manager starts (see below).
+  setTimeout(function() PlacesUtils.livemarks.start(), 5000);
+
   // Initialize the download manager some time after the app starts so that
   // auto-resume downloads begin (such as after crashing or quitting with
   // active downloads) and speeds up the first-load of the download manager UI.
diff --git a/mozilla/toolkit/components/places/public/nsILivemarkService.idl b/mozilla/toolkit/components/places/public/nsILivemarkService.idl
index fbee1496f7e..09375a0264c 100644
--- a/mozilla/toolkit/components/places/public/nsILivemarkService.idl
+++ b/mozilla/toolkit/components/places/public/nsILivemarkService.idl
@@ -42,9 +42,16 @@
 interface nsIURI;
 interface nsINavBookmarksService;
 
-[scriptable, uuid(602e3a71-2d10-4d8f-80c2-6db302b5c89d)]
+[scriptable, uuid(7879747e-8871-4a7b-9032-5c4fff1d6017)]
 interface nsILivemarkService : nsISupports
 {
+  /**
+   * Starts the livemark refresh timer.
+   * Being able to manually control this allows activity such
+   * as bookmarks import to occur without kicking off HTTP traffic.
+   */
+  void start();
+
   /**
    * Creates a new livemark
    * @param folder      The id of the parent folder
diff --git a/mozilla/toolkit/components/places/src/nsLivemarkService.js b/mozilla/toolkit/components/places/src/nsLivemarkService.js
index 33b861502f0..ece6c50e252 100644
--- a/mozilla/toolkit/components/places/src/nsLivemarkService.js
+++ b/mozilla/toolkit/components/places/src/nsLivemarkService.js
@@ -147,8 +147,6 @@ function LivemarkService() {
     new G_ObserverServiceObserver('xpcom-shutdown',
                                   BindToObject(this._shutdown, this),
                                   true /*only once*/);
-  new G_Alarm(BindToObject(this._fireTimer, this), LIVEMARK_TIMEOUT,
-              true /* repeat */);
 
   if (IS_CONTRACTID in Cc)
     this._idleService = Cc[IS_CONTRACTID].getService(Ci.nsIIdleService);
@@ -183,6 +181,14 @@ LivemarkService.prototype = {
     return this.__history;
   },
 
+  _updateTimer: null,
+  start: function LS_start() {
+    if (this._updateTimer)
+      return;
+    this._updateTimer = new G_Alarm(BindToObject(this._fireTimer, this),
+                                    LIVEMARK_TIMEOUT, true /* repeat */);
+  },
+
   // returns new length of _livemarks
   _pushLivemark: function LS__pushLivemark(folderId, feedURI) {
     return this._livemarks.push({folderId: folderId, feedURI: feedURI});
@@ -204,6 +210,12 @@ LivemarkService.prototype = {
       if (livemark.loadGroup)
         livemark.loadGroup.cancel(NS_BINDING_ABORTED);
     }
+
+    // kill timer
+    if (this._updateTimer) {
+      this._updateTimer.cancel();
+      this._updateTimer = null;
+    }
   },
 
   _fireTimer: function LS__fireTimer() {