EFFECTS OF FIRE ON FAUNA

Little data exist on the effects fire has on animals.  Animals can be affected directly by physical contact with fire, or indirectly by altering habitat structure and food sources.  Several agencies have altered their prescribed burn schedules to reduce the amount of fire-caused animal mortality.  Higher mortality often occurs during growing-season burns (Robbins and  Myers, 1992).  A blanket schedule intent on avoiding growing-season fires should be avoided, however, since the resource needs of any Sanctuaries' diverse fauna are spread out over the entire year.  Where practical, the life histories and needs of the more significant species should be taken into account when planning prescribed fires.

Indirect effects of fire on animals involve habitats and the species connected to those habitats.  Animals that persist within fire-dependent ecosystems have adapted to this pyrogenic cycle, and have even come to depend upon the various vegetational responses to fire.  Fire influences the structure and composition of vegetation, thereby affecting food and nesting availability.  It should not be assumed that growing-season prescribed burns will produce optimal wildlife habitat conditions for all species at all times -- every community is structured differently and should therefore be considered individually.  Within certain communities, many advantages exist for growing-season burns over dormant-season burns.  Fires in the wet or humid growing season will burn patchier than fires in the drier dormant season.  Vegetation can regrow and some herbaceous species can flower faster after growing-season burns than after dormant-season burns.  Yet there are some herbaceous species that do not flower and fruit until a full year after a growing-season burn.  Herbaceous vegetation can regrow faster than woody vegetation after growing-season burns.  Early growing-season burns can have negative impacts on understory deciduous hardwoods when late growing-season burns have negative impacts on evergreen species (Robbins and  Myers, 1992).