Shrnutí

Popis

In the summer of 1976 a wildfire burned 260 squarekm on the Seney National Wildlife Refuge in Michigans Upper Peninsula. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service evaluated the fires impact on wildlife and wildlife habitat by sampling in burned and adjacent unburned areas from 1977 through 1979. The fire burned in irregular patterns with varying degrees of intensity. In some burned areas dead trees or downed logs were the only vegetative remains, whereas other areas were difficult to recognize as burned areas after leaves covered the ground. Where the fire was severe, structural changes occurred in the habitat creating areas for species such as sharptailed grouse Pedioecetes phasianellas, black backed threetoed woodpeckers Picoides arcticus, and black bear Ursus americanus. The patchy nature of the fire caused the diversity of wildlife to increase on the Refuge. American woodcock Philohela minor and snipe Capella gallinago, already common on the Refuge, became more abundant as edge habitat increased. Whitetailed deer Odocoileus virginianus populations showed little change because of the lack of winter habitat. Studies in the third year after the fire indicated that young amphibians and reptiles were more common on the burned plots than on the unburned study sites. Fish populations were similar in ponds and streams near burned and unburned regions. Significant differences were not found in the chemical composition of water and soils at burned or unburned sites. The overall impact of the fire was to create a more diverse habitat by setting back succession in some areas. The results of the research provide some insights into the effect of fire on an ecosystem with a relatively short growing season. Implications are discussed for the use of fire as a management tool in these habitat types.