FIRE EFFECTS AND USE
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Sylvilagus floridanus | Eastern Cottontail 



DIRECT FIRE EFFECTS ON ANIMALS : 
Taylor [59] reviewed twelve studies of fire effects on small mammals and
found little evidence of direct mortality.  Small mammals are often able
to escape fire by retreating to underground burrows [59].  Komarek [37]
reported that there was no evidence of direct mortality or even singed
fur of either juvenile or adult eastern cottontails in 225 prescribed
fires (from late fall to early spring) in southern pine forests.  Small
mammals including eastern cottontails have been collected from unburned
areas of cover within burned plots [37,56].  In Alabama no
radio-collared eastern cottontails were killed by either severe or
low-severity prescribed fire, and no eastern cottontail deaths were
recorded in the immediate postfire period (12 days) in pine-hardwood
woodlands and adjacent pastures [36].  In southeastern Illinois
tallgrass prairie, eastern cottontails were observed escaping winter
prescribed fire [64].  In Oklahoma a hot fire in prairie woodlands
(August) killed a number of box turtles (Terrapene spp.) but living
eastern cottontails were observed during and after the fire [6].

The rate of fire spread is a major factor in direct mortality of small
mammals.  After a fire that spread 0.6 to 0.8 m/sec with flame heights
up to 20 feet (6 m) and flame widths up to 36.3 feet (11 m), carcasses
of marsh rabbits (Sylvilagus palustris) and one cotton rat (Sigmodon
spp.) were found.  However, no dead mammals were found after a fire that
spread at a rate of 0.1 m/sec [59].  Komarek [37] found dead marsh
rabbits but living eastern cottontails after a fire; the implication was
that eastern cottontails were better able to escape the fire than their
congeners.  Kelsall and others [35] asserted that forest fires were less
destructive to small mammals than grass fires because forest fires
usually move slower than grass fires.

In eastern Nebraska a search conducted immediately after an April
prescribed fire in tallgrass prairie turned up a litter of nestling
eastern cottontails that had been injured by the fire but were able to
run off.  During the fire one adult eastern cottontail was observed
behind the fireline, appearing to be disoriented and possibly singed.
The researchers were unable to capture the animal for closer
examination.  No injured or killed eastern cottontails were found after
two previous similar fires [20].

Komarek [37] did not list eastern cottontails as attracted to fire and
smoke, but they were listed as present on both black burns and on burned
areas that had greened up.

Most of the effect of fire on vertebrates is the abrupt habitat change
following the fire [20].  Concentration of eastern cottontails into
unburned patches increases vulnerability to predators; predators hunted
extensively in unburned cover areas in Georgia slash pine-longleaf pine
woods after spring prescribed fires [56].


HABITAT RELATED FIRE EFFECTS : 
Fire's effects on habitat depend on fire characteristics.  Soils lose
fewer nutrients in low-severity fire than in severe fire.  Severe fire
volatilizes nutrients and occasionally decreases wettability of the soil
surface.  Low-severity fire increases herb diversity and stimulates
growth, particularly among native legumes.  Improved nutritional levels
in forage species have been reported after fire.  Soil fertilization may
increase eastern cottontail ovulation rates [32].

In southeastern Illinois tallgrass prairie eastern cottontails preferred
3-year postfire communities that had not been mowed over unburned plots
and 3-year postfire plots that had been mowed [64].  In south-central
Iowa prescribed fires resulted in declines in eastern cottontail habitat
quality during the first few postfire months, but habitat quality
improved thereafter until it met or exceeded prefire levels [24].

In Oklahoma Cross Timbers habitats, pastures (some in post oak-blackjack
oak stands) were treated with herbicides (two types) in 1983 to control
shrubs, then burned in 1985 to maintain shrub control.  There was a
gradual decline in eastern cottontail populations on all treatments
which was attributed to population cyclicity.  However, eastern
cottontail density was higher on herbicide-only treated pastures and on
herbicide-burned pastures than on plots that were not treated with
herbicide and not burned.  The herbicide treatments reduced shrub height
but increased stem density.  Fire encouraged the growth of herbaceous
plants.  The authors concluded that herbicide with or without fire has
no adverse impacts on resident eastern cottontail populations, and that
treatment areas had more preferred habitat than control areas [41].

In Alabama shortleaf pine-hardwood woodlands eastern cottontail
populations were similar on annually and biennially burned plots.
Annually burned plots usually had little fuel and thus experienced
low-severity fire that burned less than 50 percent of aboveground
vegetation.  On biennially burned plots fuels were plentiful and
supported severe fire that removed all herbaceous vegetation.  Eastern
cottontails chose artificial brushpiles more frequently on biennially
burned plots than on annually burned plots in immediate postfire
periods.  Eastern cottontails moved off of severe fire plots during the
immediate postfire period [36,57].

In Florida cattle ranges in slash pine-palmetto flatwoods are maintained
in open condition by frequent prescribed fire.  Eastern cottontails use
saw-palmetto patches for cover and saw-palmetto is encouraged by
frequent fire [38].


FIRE USE : 
Prescribed fire is the most useful tool for enhancing eastern cottontail
habitat since it can be used to control the amount of brushy cover and
available forage [9].  In New York prescribed fire every third year in
shrub stands within pitch pine-oak woodlands maintains shrub cover
adequate for eastern cottontails [49].

In Pennsylvania manipulation of hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) and alder
(Alnus spp.) can be achieved with prescribed fire.  Hawthorns are an
important food for eastern cottontails in the area, and can be
encouraged by periodic application of fire, since hawthorns sprout after
top-kill by fire [8].

In the Southeast pine woodlands are managed with frequent fire; eastern
cottontail habitat is usually at least adequate in managed pine stands.
Additional benefits of fire include reduction of eastern cottontail
parasites.  Pine plantations are good eastern cottontail habitat for the
first five growing seasons after site preparation.  They deteriorate
with increased canopy closure and do not improve until prescribed fire
(usually initiated in the ninth season) and/or thinning (usually
initiated in the fifteenth season) are implemented.  To benefit eastern
cottontails, fire should be used at a frequency sufficient to maintain
open conditions and discourage broomsedge, but at long enough intervals
to retain some shrub cover and winter browse.  There is a need to
balance annual fire, which increases summer forage, and longer-interval
fires to maintain shrubby areas.  Prescribed fire for eastern cottontail
management therefore needs to be planned so as to leave patches of areas
in different postfire stages, with sufficient annual burn plots to
provide summer forage [32].


REFERENCES : 
NO-ENTRY

Related categories for Wildlife Species: Sylvilagus floridanus | Eastern Cottontail