Resolving conservation conflict through fire refugia: Integrating landscape resilience into forest management

Area of Science:

• Forest Ecology
• Conservation Biology
• Fire Science

Background:

• Decades of fire exclusion in Pacific Northwest forests have increased fuel loads, leading to high-severity wildfires.
• Northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) conservation prioritizes old-growth forests, which are increasingly vulnerable to severe fires.
• This creates a conflict between protecting species habitat and reducing wildfire risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a spatially explicit management framework aligning biodiversity conservation with wildfire resilience using fire refugia.
• To identify areas where northern spotted owl habitat overlaps with natural fire refugia.
• To inform forest management strategies for both protecting existing habitat and restoring fire-excluded areas.

Main Methods:

• Utilized spatial modeling to identify fire refugia.
• Incorporated empirical case studies and fire ecology principles.
• Developed a decision-support tool for forest planning.

Main Results:

• Fire refugia are areas that consistently burn at lower severity, offering protection during wildfires.
• Historically, northern spotted owl nesting sites were likely located within fire refugia.
• Fire exclusion has led to habitat expansion into higher-risk areas, increasing vulnerability.

Conclusions:

• Identifying fire refugia is crucial for protecting northern spotted owl habitat and enhancing wildfire resilience.
• Active restoration may be needed in fire-excluded habitats to improve ecological resilience.
• Policy alternatives are proposed for integrating refugia-based management into broader forest planning frameworks.