When forest fires tear through California, loss and destruction are often what make headlines. But amid the burnt trees, nature quietly rebuilds and even thrives.
Researchers with the Institute for Bird Populations in Petaluma have found that some bird species increased in population after a wildfire, and the positive effect often lasted many years.
Their study, published in the journal Fire Ecology, found that 28 of the 42 common bird species they studied had higher population densities in areas previously torched by fire, suggesting that fires could benefit wildlife while assisting with land and forest management.
“Land managers might be heartened to hear that many birds might benefit even from burns that aren’t all low-severity,” research scientist Chris Ray, Ph.D., said in a blog post….