Response of eastern chipmunks to single application spring prescribed fires on the Fernow Experimental Forest

Abstract

We used radiotelemetry to examine the effects of spring prescribed fire for preharvest oak (Quercus spp.) shelterwood management on eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) home-range attributes and burrow use on the Fernow Experimental Forest in the central Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia. Results for 21 chipmunks showed that prescribed fire had little discernable effect on home-range or core-area size, extent of conspecific overlap, or burrow use. Fire tolerance of this common forest rodent provides additional evidence supporting the use of prescribed burning to achieve vegetation management objectives in the central Appalachians where appropriate.

Woodland salamander response to two prescribed fires in the central Appalachians

“…Though most of the Fernow Experimental Forest's overstory composition is best described as a mixed-mesophytic type of the Central Appalachian Broadleaf Forest (Braun, 1950;McNab and Avers, 1994), the overstory dominants at our study site were northern red oak (Quercus rubra), chestnut oak (Q. prinus), and white oak (Q. alba) in descending order of importance as measured by basal area (see Rowan et al, 2005 for a more detailed description). Forest stands probably regenerated in the years following the initial logging of the virgin forest in the area that is now the Fernow Experimental Forest in the early 20th Century (Schuler, 2004).…”

“…Fire reintroduction, particularly repeated burning in forests that have developed over decades with fire suppression raises questions about impacts to forest floor dwelling vertebrates (Ford et al, 1999;Rowan et al, 2005). Central Appalachian forests are noted for their high biodiversity, and managers often are required to consider management impacts across a broad array of taxa for which biological information often is lacking (Keyser and Ford, 2006).…”

Effects of Tornado Disturbance on Bat Communities in Southern Illinois

“…These shifts in resource availability can have positive effects on some wildlife species, but negative impacts on others (Fenton et al 1998, Prather and Smith 2003, Rowan et al 2005, Will 1991). Many small mammals have short life spans, mature early, produce many offspring in a litter, have little maternal care, and die at an early age (Barclay and Harder 2003).…”

The effects of early season and late season prescribed fires on small mammals in a Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forest

“…The fire response of lodgepole chipmunks is not well known, although least chipmunk densities (N. minimus) were not affected by a severe wildfire in a ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest (Converse et al, in press). Eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) also were not impacted by spring fire in a central Appalachian forest (Rowan et al, 2005), but declined in number following wildfire in a jack-pine (Pinus banksiana) forest except where seeds were abundant (Krefting and Ahlgren, 1974). Deer mice are generalists with wide habitat and diet tolerances and strong colonizing abilities (Baker, 1968).…”