Prescribed Fire Impacts to Amphibians and Reptiles in Shelterwood-harvested Oak-dominated Forests

As part of a larger study examining the role of prescribed fire in regenerating upland oaks (Quercus spp.), seasonal prescribed burns (winter, spring, summer, and unburned control) were applied to first-stage shelterwood-harvested stands on Horsepen Wildlife Management Area in the Virginia Piedmont in 1995. Because fire impacts are poorly documented for herpetofaunal communities, we surveyed these stands in 1996 capturing 133 individuals of ten species during over 12,720 pitfall trapnights. We found no significant differences in relative abundance of Eastern Red-backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) (P = 0.26), American Toads (Bufo americanus (P = 0.93), or all amphibians combined (P = 0.25) among unburned shelterwood stands and those treated with winter, spring, or summer burns. Three species of reptiles (Northern Fence Lizard [Sceloporus undulatus], Ground Skink [Scincella lateralis], and Southeastern Five-lined Skink [Eumeces inexpectatus]) combined were captured more frequently in burned versus unburned stands (P = 0.02). Based on a stepwise multiple regression model, Eastern Red-backed Salamander captures were more strongly influenced by landscape variables (P = 0.0320), including distance to permanent water and mesic (i.e., eastern-northern) aspects, than by fire treatments (P = 0.26). Similar landscape models were not significant (P < 0.05) for toads or reptiles. Based on these results, prescribed fire may not be detrimental to herpetofaunal communities in oak dominated forests in the Virginia Piedmont.

[1]  R. Jaeger.  Fluctuations in prey availability and food limitation for a terrestrial salamander , 2004, Oecologia.

[2]  C. Greenberg.  Fire, Habitat structure and herpetofauna in the Southeast , 2002 .

[3]  P. Keyser,et al.  Using Prescribed Fire to Regenerate Oaks , 2000 .

[4]  J. Mitchell.  Observations on Amphibians and Reptiles in Burned and Unburned Forests on the Upper Coastal Plain of Virginia , 2000 .

[5]  David R. Larsen,et al.  Plethodontid Salamander Response to Silvicultural Practices in Missouri Ozark Forests , 1999 .

[6]  D. McGill,et al.  Effects of a community restoration fire on small mammals and herpetofauna in the southern Appalachians , 1999 .

[7]  D. V. Lear,et al.  Prescribed fire effects on herpetofauna: Review and management implications , 1999 .

[8]  W. Palmer,et al.  Whither wildlife without fire , 1998 .

[9]  C. Chambers,et al.  Response of small mammals to clearcutting, burning, and glyphosate application in the Oregon Coast Range , 1997 .

[10]  P. Brose.  Effects of Seasonal Prescribed Fires on Oak-dominated Shelterwood Stands , 1997 .

[11]  G. Kirkland,et al.  Impact of Fire on Small Mammals and Amphibians in a Central Appalachian Deciduous Forest , 1996 .

[12]  D. V. Lear,et al.  Enhancing oak regeneration with fire in shelterwood stands: preliminary trials , 1996 .

[13]  Malcolm L. Hunter,et al.  The relationship between forest management and amphibian ecology: a review of the North American literature , 1995 .

[14]  A. Savitzky.  The reptiles of Virginia , 1994 .

[15]  H. Mushinsky.  Fire and the Florida sandhill herpetofaunal community: with special attention to responses of Cnemidophorus sexlineatus , 1985 .

[16]  Gene E. Likens,et al.  Salamander populations and biomass in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire , 1975 .

[17]  H. Heatwole.  Environmental Factors Influencing Local Distribution and Activity of the Salamander, Plethodon Cinereus , 1962 .

[18]  F. Taub.  The Distribution of the Red‐Backed Salamander, Plethodon C. Cinereus, within the Soil , 1961 .