Journal article
Fuels management mitigates megafires to the benefit of old forest species
Forest ecology and management, Vol.603, p.123316
03/01/2026
DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123316
Abstract
Climate change and fire exclusion have changed disturbance regimes in forest ecosystems globally. In many seasonally dry forests, fuels management can mitigate severe wildfire behavior and create more resilient forests. Yet concern that fuels management might simplify forests and adversely impact biodiversity, particularly older forest associated species, has constrained the pace and scale of fuels management efforts. The California spotted owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis), emblematic of this conundrum, will likely face local and widespread extirpation if wildfires continue to increase in size and severity. Here, we leveraged bioregional passive acoustic monitoring and a novel disturbance dataset in the Sierra Nevada, California to examine 1) the impact of disturbance legacies and fuels management on wildfire severity, 2) the effect of fuels management and wildfire severity on spotted owl occupancy across the bioregion, and 3) the net effects of fuels management on spotted owl occupancy via their direct (i.e., by altering habitat) and indirect effects (i.e., by changing fire behavior and mitigating severe fire effects). We found that the net effects of fuels management on spotted owl occupancy depended on their intensity. High-intensity fuels management (>= 35 % reduction in canopy cover) resulted in net increases in spotted owl occupancy when implemented across 1-25 % of a landscape. Low-intensity management (<35 % reduction in canopy cover) resulted in net increases to spotted owl occupancy when implemented across up to 100 % of a landscape. Combining low levels of high-intensity fuels management and high levels of lowintensity fuels management in occupied owl sites-in addition to conserving existing nesting and roosting habitat-may effectively modify fire behavior and directly create habitat structures that benefit spotted owls. Our work suggests that restoring resilient forests through fuels management and conserving a vulnerable forest specialist can be viewed as complementary objectives.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Fuels management mitigates megafires to the benefit of old forest species
- Creators
- Kate McGinn - University of Wisconsin–MadisonGavin M. Jones - University of New MexicoH. Anu Kramer - University of Wisconsin–MadisonSheila A. Whitmore - University of Wisconsin–MadisonJason M. Winiarski - University of Wisconsin–MadisonElizabeth Ming-Yue Ng - USDA Forest Serv, Rocky Mt Res Stn, Albuquerque, NM USAConnor M. Wood - Cornell UniversitySarah C. Sawyer - US Forest ServiceCraig Thompson - Pacific Southwest Research StationM. Zachariah Peery - University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Forest ecology and management, Vol.603, p.123316
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123316
- ISSN
- 0378-1127
- eISSN
- 1872-7042
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Number of pages
- 12
- Grant note
- USDA Forest Service Region 5 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/01/2026
- Academic Unit
- School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability
- Record Identifier
- 9985219857002771
Metrics
1 Record Views