Post-fire salvage logging reduces snowshoe hare and red squirrel densities in early seral stages

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Wildfire is an important natural disturbance in western North American forests and has been increasing in prevalence and severity in recent decades. Post-fire salvage logging is a common practice, however, the impacts of salvage logging on wildlife are poorly understood. We studied populations of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) and red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) in a post-fire and salvage-logged interior Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forest on the Chilcotin Plateau, British Columbia, Canada. Snowshoe hare densities were low, but densities were highest in 8–9-year-old regenerating post-fire forests. Hares were mostly absent from 1 to 2-year-old post-fire forests. Salvage-logged areas were not used by snowshoe hares. Red squirrel detections were highest in mature forests, and squirrels were not present in post-fire salvage-logged habitat. Post-fire salvage logging removed live canopy trees required by both snowshoe hares and red squirrels. The large scale and intensity of post-fire salvage logging removes important regenerating post-fire habitat and has detrimental impacts on these important prey species, likely leading to consequences for avian and mammalian predators.