TRIAL BY FIRE: ASSESSING SPACE USE OF BURNED LANDSCAPES BY PACIFIC MARTEN. | |||
Alyssa M Roddy; NCASI, Inc. and Department of Wildlife, Cal Poly Humboldt; alyssaroddy@gmail.com; Jessica K. Buskirk, Christopher J. Collier, Matthew Delheimer, Deirdre Replinger, Micaela S. Gunther, Ho Yi Wan, Katie M. Moriarty | |||
Large, high-severity fire frequency has drastically increased in recent decades in dry conifer forests of the western United States, yet species’ responses to fire are poorly understood, particularly for marten. To address this paucity, we assessed post-fire space use by Pacific marten (Martes caurina), a forest-obligate carnivore, in California (Dixie Fire; 2021) and Oregon (Flat Fire; 2023). Using GPS collar data collected in 2024, we calculated marten use-areas (size, burn severity composition) and examined marten use of burns (Manly-Chesson index; α>1 = selection, α<1 = avoidance). Male and female marten use-areas were 5.25±1.81 (average±SD; n=10) and 4.19 km2 (n=1), respectively. Unburned forest comprised the highest proportion of use-areas (58±29%) with variation across severities (low = 14±7%, moderate-low = 9±7%, moderate-high = 9±9%, high = 11±9%). Marten exhibited weak selection of unburned forest (α = 1.24±0.30) and avoidance of high severity burn patches (α = 0.29±0.37). Our data suggest marten are using a full gradient of burn severities; this is unexpected given that large, high-severity fires typically degrade forest structure features important to marten. Future studies examining whether martens are capable of long-term persistence in post-fire landscapes will be valuable for developing informed forest management practices and species conservation strategies. | |||
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