How some wildlife can benefit from wildfires and their aftermath, according to environmentalists

Although massive wildfires can cause disruption and danger to both wildlife and humans, environmentalists in B.C. note these wildfires can also bring benefits to certain species.

According to Jesse Zeman, executive director of the B.C. Wildlife Federation, burned forest trees release nutrients into the soil, and the absence of canopy barriers allows for increased sunlight.

These factors, he says, contribute to the regeneration of the soil, making it suitable for the growth of new plants and berries, which serve as essential food sources for moose, grizzly bears, elk, mule deer and sheep.

"We'll see species like sheep or deer move into these burns after the first rain because there's a bunch of really fresh shoots that have a lot of digestible energy and high protein content," Zeman told host Carolina de Ryk on CBC's Daybreak North.

Dave Quinn, a program co-ordinator for the conservation advocacy group Wildsight, based in Kimberley, B.C., says if the fire burns the appropriate type of soil under favourable conditions, it can lead to the growth of a diverse range of deciduous trees and shrubs, which can then serve as an abundant source of food for wildlife.

"Those are just all-you-can-eat salad bars," Quinn said. "You can get these huckleberry patches that show up, and they can persist 80 to 100 years in the same area — and those are incredible for bears, moose, birds and all kinds of things."

Zeman adds that fallen trees in the burned areas also offer protection for long-legged species, like moose, from predators. 

"They're able to navigate that landscape really well, and some of their predators, like wolves, can really struggle if there's a lot of trees on the ground."

Not all species benefit from wildfires

Canada has been grappling with numerous wildfires this summer, including the Donnie Creek fire, the second-largest recorded wildfire in B.C.'s history. 

While the impact on wildlife is yet to be assessed by the provincial government, the Ministry of Forests notes that fires historically provide opportunities for regrowth of trees and soil regeneration.

"In the long-term, large wildfires have been demonstrated to be beneficial to most wildlife species through increased and better quality forage production, because forage begins to regrow shortly after fire event and become more abundant in future years," the ministry said in an emailed statement to CBC.

The province notes that the negative impact of wildfires on wildlife, such as the loss of forage and security covers, is historically temporary.

However, Quinn raises concerns about the vulnerability of caribou, as it may take centuries for their habitats to return to their pre-fire states. 

Caribou have a preference for mature and old-growth forests as their habitats, according to the province, and the loss of these habitats and wolf predation have seen their numbers decline in B.C., with some groups of southern mountain and boreal caribou considered threatened under Canada's Species At Risk Act. 

Smaller wildlife also tend to suffer the most from wildfires, as creatures like squirrels rely on summers to accumulate food reserves, which they may lose entirely to the flames, making it unlikely for them to survive the winter.

Strategic tree replanting benefits

While wildfires can have beneficial effects on some wildlife species in the aftermath, Zeman argues that the province should continue prescribed burning of forest trees to prevent large-scale blazes in the future. However, he points out that B.C.'s budget for prescribed burning has declined by 75 per cent since 1993.

Zeman also suggests that to allow wildlife to thrive in fire-affected areas, the province should discontinue salvage logging, which involves cutting trees in areas damaged by wildfires and other natural disasters.

"The challenge with [salvage logging] is that it adds roads, which are not great for wildlife — it can add invasive and non-native weeds, and it can also remove some of the protection from the sun and the wind that will end up drying out the soil," Zeman said.

Quinn says he supports the idea of leaving charred logs on the ground and allowing the burned areas to regenerate naturally.

He also recommends against replanting burned areas with coniferous trees like pine, fir, and spruce, as these species can become overgrown and contribute to larger wildfires.

"It should not be replanted with pine — it should be allowed to grow back with some of these shrubs and deciduous trees that provide the really good food for animals."

Check the CBC News Climate Dashboard for live updates on wildfire smoke and active fires across the country. Set your location for information on air quality and to find out how today's temperatures compare to historical trends.