Recent fires throughout the western states have heightened interest in the influences of post-fire management activities on a variety of ecological processes, social goods and services, and forest attributes, including forest health, ecosystem integrity, future management options, and wildlife habitat. Post-fire salvage harvest of dead and damaged trees has been of particular interest because of an array of potential benefits including commodity production and economic gain, decreased fuel loads reducing risk of future fires, and reduction in future insect infestation. However, post-fire salvage may also carry significant environmental risks to soil, water, and biodiversity. Key concerns related to biodiversity center on wildlife response, especially related to species associated with dead wood, both standing dead wood (such as cavity-nesting birds) and fallen dead wood (such as several species of small mammals).
 To help elucidate the influences of salvage operations on wildlife habitat quality, we are sampling bird and small mammal communities in 12 research units occupying the area burned by the Davis Lake Fire. Four blocks of replicated treatments (representing uncut controls and two intensities of salvage) are being compared with respect to small mammal abundance and diversity, breeding songbird densities, and bat activity. Our work at Davis Lake will thus provide information on the influences of salvage and salvage intensity on habitat quality and abundance of wildlife species.
For additional information about this research study see the
CFER
Annual Report. (2.2 MB)
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