Graduation Date
Spring 2024
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
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Micaela Szykman Gunther
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Katie Moriarty
Third Committee Member Affiliation
Community Member or Outside Professional
Keywords
Marten, Fisher, Carnivore, Rodent, Small mammal, Wildfire, Occupancy, Dixie Fire, Lassen, Plumas, Scale optimization, Fire, Northern California, Wildlife, Coyote, Management
Subject Categories
Wildlife
Abstract
The consumption of an astounding one million acres resulted from California’s largest single fire to date, the 2021 Dixie Fire. The social and economic losses associated with the fire were immediately apparent, but the effects on wildlife remained unknown. While previous research has suggested mixed or low severity fire may be beneficial to certain wildlife species, the responses to megafires are poorly understood for many carnivores. To better understand these responses to severe fire, I used a random sampling design stratified by burn severity to survey in and around the Dixie Fire footprint using baited camera stations. This allowed me to determine the persistence of mesocarnivores of conservation concern including Pacific marten (Martes caurina) and fisher (Pekania pennanti) in a post-fire landscape. I estimated occupancy at multiple scales using metrics related to burn severity, post-fire forest structure, and prey availability. With increasing levels of burn severity, I found that Pacific marten occupancy increased, and fisher occupancy decreased. Pacific marten may be using burned forest for hunting, as mouse/vole (Peromyscus/Microtus/Myodes spp.) species also had a positive relationship with burn severity. Predators and competitors persisted in the burned areas, and coyotes (Canis latrans) had a strong positive relationship with burn severity. My results provide insight into how a carnivore community responds to high severity fire and are applicable to regions worldwide that are experiencing a shifting fire paradigm. I equip land managers with forest volumetric information correlated with occurrence data that can inform restoration in large wildfires to benefit carnivore communities.
Citation Style
Journal of Wildlife Management
Recommended Citation
Collier, Christopher James, "Fire severity mediates marten and fisher occurrence: Impacts of the Dixie Fire on a carnivore community" (2024). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 730.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/730
Included in
Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons