Graduation Date
Spring 2026
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Science degree with a major in Natural Resources, option Wildlife
Committee Chair Name
Ho Yi Wan
Committee Chair Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Micaela Szykman Gunther
Second Committee Member Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Katie Moriarty
Third Committee Member Affiliation
Community Member or Outside Professional
Keywords
Marten, Fire, Wildfire, Mesocarnivore, Carnivore, Occupancy, Density, Spatial capture-recapture, Lassen, Dixie Fire, Northern California
Subject Categories
Wildlife
Abstract
Increasing frequency, size, and severity of wildfires in western North America threatens forest-dependent wildlife species. The Pacific marten (Martes caurina) has historically been associated with mature, structurally complex forest throughout most of its range. Recently, martens have been detected in forests burned at high severity by the 2021 Dixie Fire—the largest recorded single fire in California state history. I used non-invasive remote camera traps and hair snares (n = 166 sites) to assess marten habitat use and density using spatial occupancy and spatial capture-recapture models. I detected martens across the burn severity gradient (unburned to high-severity) at 98 of 166 (59%) camera stations. Using spatial occupancy models, I found that martens were strongly associated with increasing shape complexity of patches burned at high severity (β = 1.11; 95% CI = 0.46–1.98). The significant positive effects of shape index of burned patches on marten occupancy suggests that martens may select for heterogeneity in burn severity, using areas with a larger diversity of postfire forest conditions on the landscape, compared to large homogenous burns. Density estimates from spatial capture-recapture models were low (D = 0.11 activity centers/km²; 95% CI = 0.06–0.18), but results should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size of marked individuals. I found extensive marten use of burned areas three years postfire, providing evidence for marten survival and short-term persistence of a rare forest-associated species within a megafire.
Citation Style
Journal of Wildlife Management
Recommended Citation
Replinger, Deirdre L., "Postfire habitat use and density of Pacific martens (Martes caurina) in Lassen National Forest, California" (2026). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 2564.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/2564