Fire Effects on Mammals

The direct effects of fire on mammals- injury, mortality, escape, and immigration- are influenced by fire season, intensity, severity, rate of spread, uniformity, and size. Mammals with limited mobility, such as young, are more vulnerable to injury and mortality than mature individuals. The habitat changes caused by fire influence mammal populations and communities much more profoundly than fire itself. Fires often cause a short-term increase in productivity, availability, or nutrient content of wildlife foods such as forage and browse. These changes can contribute to substantial increases in herbivore populations, but potential increases are moderated by animals’ ability to thrive in the altered, often simplified, structure of the postfire environment. Small carnivores respond to fire effects on small mammal populations (either positive or negative). Large carnivores and omnivores are opportunistic species with large home ranges. Their populations change little in response to fire, but they tend to thrive in areas where their preferred prey is most plentiful—often in recent burns.

The following sections from Wildland fire in ecosystems: effects of fire on fauna (Smith 2000) synthesize research on mammals and fire from all regions of the U.S.

• Injury and Mortality in Mammals
• Escape, Emigration, and Immigration in Mammals
• Fire Effects on Mammal Populations

Information on the effects of fire on the following mammal species is also available in the Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) of the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station. Where indicated, additional information is available in the Encyclopedia of Southern Fire Science.

Species	Common Name	FEIS	ESFS
Castor canadensis	beaver	CACA
Canis latrans	coyote	CALA
Canis lupus	wolf	CALU
Lepus californicus	black-tailed jackrabbit	LECA
Lutra canadensis	river otter	LUCA
Lynx rufus	bobcat	LYRU
Microtus pennsylvanicus	meadow vole	MIPE
Mustela vison	mink	MUVI
Odocoileus virginianus	white-tailed deer	ODVI
Ondatra zibethicus	muskrat	ONZI
Peromyscus maniculatus	deer mouse	PEMA
Procyon lotor	raccoon	PRLO
Sciurus niger	fox squirrel	SCNI
Sigmodon hispidus	hispid cotton rat	SIHI
Sylvilagus floridanus	eastern cottontail	SYFL
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus	red squirrel	TAHU
Ursus americanus	black bear	URAM
Urocyon cinereoargenteus	gray fox	URCI
Vulpes vulpes	red fox	VUVU