![]() ![]() The long-toed salamander faced high-severity fire across 14 percent of its range, which was more than any other species. One hundred species contended with fire in more than 10 percent of their habitat, including great gray owls, Pacific martens, wolverines, northern rubber boas, and other species of concern. Out of more than 600 species, 50 species experienced fire in 15 to 30 percent of their geographic range. It took Jones and Ayars about a year to compile their research findings, and the results are sobering. Geological Survey photo by Marcus Rehrman) ![]() This required some fancy computer footwork. Piecing all this information together, like a jigsaw puzzle, they formed a picture of what was happening to wildlife on the ground. The researchers then overlaid the species data with the location and size of an area burned, factoring in fire severity levels. These models use statistical methods to determine where species most likely live based on their habitat preferences. Jones and Ayars combed through the state’s wildlife database, looking at the geographic range of species and species habitat suitability models. “California is ideal for this research because their Department of Fish and Wildlife has an extensive database on hundreds of species.” “We wanted to get a 30,000-foot view of what was happening to 600 species,” said Jones. Their efforts focused on how wildlife contended with extreme wildfires in the Sierra Nevada, southern Cascades, and Klamath Mountains. Jones and fellow researcher, Jessalyn Ayars, made it their mission to find out. Forest Service ecologist Jessalyn Ayars surveys for American pikas, a climate-impacted species, in Glacier National Park. ![]()
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