FIRE EFFECTS AND USE
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Brachylagus idahoensis | Pygmy Rabbit 



DIRECT FIRE EFFECTS ON ANIMALS : 
Pygmy rabbits probably are capable of escaping slow moving fires;
however, they may be burned or die of asphyxiation in some fires.
During a prescribed burn of a big sagebrush-grassland community in
Idaho, several pygmy rabbits died in an area where the fire advanced
rapidly.  Although pygmy rabbits use burrows, the burrows evidently do
not always provide them with effective protection from fire [6].


HABITAT RELATED FIRE EFFECTS : 
Loss of big sagebrush as a result of a fire may decrease both food and
cover for pygmy rabbits.  Big sagebrush is often completely killed by
fire and is slow to reestablish on burned sites.  On the Upper Snake
River Plains in Idaho, big sagebrush did not recover to prefire
densities until 30 years after an August fire [23].  Big sagebrush may
be eliminated from some areas due to repeated fire [24].  Fires that
eliminate much of the big sagebrush would have an adverse effect on the
pygmy rabbit population in that area.  Two months following an August
prescribed fire in a big sagebrush-grassland community in Idaho, only 3
of 11 located radio-collared pygmy rabbits were still alive.  Predation
was a cause of death for seven of the eight pygmy rabbits.  The loss of
big sagebrush cover from their home ranges probably increased their
vulnerability to predation.  Some of the surviving pygmy rabbits
abandoned their home ranges and established new home ranges on adjacent
unburned sites.  Of the six pygmy rabbits that remained on the burn
site, only one survived through winter [6].


FIRE USE : 
Burned areas can be reseeded and planted with big sagebrush to help
facilitate sagebrush establishment.  Seeding on 4 to 8 inches (10-20 cm)
of snow is a successful way to establish seedlings.  Aerial seeding of
big sagebrush in the late fall is suitable for sites where planting seed
to is not practical.  Areas planted or seeded with big sagebrush should
be protected from livestock grazing for several years [12].


REFERENCES : 
NO-ENTRY

Related categories for Wildlife Species: Brachylagus idahoensis | Pygmy Rabbit