Salvage logging after wildfire in the boreal forest: Is it becoming a hot issue for wildlife?

Abstract

In recent years, the increase in wood demand, the reduction in the availability of timber resources and the northern expansion of timber harvesting, along with the general perception that wildfires create ecological disasters, have favoured an increase in salvage logging in burned boreal forests. Concurrently, pioneer studies have shown that these post-fire forests may represent important habitats for several wildlife species and that intensive salvage logging, by removing standing snags, has several impacts on wildlife. However, the effects of salvage logging on biodiversity have yet to be considered in post-fire management plans. We examine the issue of salvage logging for wildlife in the boreal forest, with particular reference to Québec as an example. We describe our current state of knowledge on the use of burned forests by some wildlife and on the impacts of salvage logging on these habitats. We conclude that snag retention at multiple spatial and temporal scales in recent burns, which will be salvage-logged, is a prescription that must be implemented to meet the principles of sustainable forest management and the maintenance of biodiversity in the boreal forest. Key words: boreal forest, post-fire forests, salvage logging, snags, wildlife, birds, cavity-nesting birds, woodpeckers, mammals, invertebrates, xylophagous insects, biodiversity