Dead wood on the ground is an essential habitat component for many birds, small mammals (fig. 4), and even large mammals, including bears (Bull and Blumton 1999). Large dead logs harbor many invertebrates and are particularly productive of ants; they also provide shelter and cover for small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. Fire both destroys and creates woody debris. While large, down logs are not always abundant in early postfire years, fire-killed trees eventually fall and become woody debris. Down wood from fire-killed trees often decays more slowly than wood of trees killed by other means (Graham and others 1994).




Source: Wildland Fire in Ecosystems Effects of Fire on Fauna. This publication was written or produced by the Rocky Mountain Research Station and is in the public domain.