Two late-season wildfires ripped via the center of Pennsylvania’s elk vary final week. One burned greater than 100 acres of forest in aptly named Elk County, whereas the hearth in Centre County burned greater than 800 acres. Each counties are within the central a part of the state, which is dwelling to an estimated 1,400 elk, resulting in issues about potential results on the native herd. However wildlife managers say the fires may really assist enhance elk habitat in the long term.
The Winslow Hill fireplace was first reported of Nov. 9, and it began someplace alongside Route 555 a pair miles east of the Elk Nation Customer Middle close to Benezette. By 3:30 p.m., firefighters from 19 totally different corporations and 6 counties had responded to the blaze. The fireplace was contained roughly 9 hours later, and a spokesperson with the Pennsylvania Recreation Fee instructed reporters that the reason for the hearth continues to be below investigation.
The Sandy Ridge fireplace, which additionally sparked on Nov. 9, was the results of a prescribed burn that received uncontrolled. It was contained by 10 p.m. that night, and crews with the Division of Conservation and Pure Assets put out the remaining hotspots the next day.
As a result of the fires burned via a few of the state’s prime elk habitat, some hunters and conservationists have been involved about adverse impacts to the herd and the general well being of the forest. However wildlife managers within the state point out that the burn may be useful for the elk. It’s because fires are likely to open up the forest cover, which permits extra daylight to penetrate and results in new vegetation development—notably the saplings that deer and elk like to browse on. The charring of the forest flooring can even add vitamins to the soil, which results in much more development.
“Normally, elk are simply going to keep away from the fires,” PGC elk biologist Jeremy Banfield tells Out of doors Life. “After which all they’re going to do is present further habitat alternatives via rejuvenation. Barring anyone’s private property being burned up, usually, [the wildfires] are an excellent factor for elk.”
To Banfield’s level, no constructions burned in both fireplace, though one individual in Elk County needed to be rescued from his dwelling and handled for minor smoke inhalation, in line with the Courier Specific. The timing may even have been a lot worse. The state’s common elk season passed off the week earlier than and ended on Nov. 5, so there have been no elk hunters within the woods when the fires occurred.
Nonetheless, it’s uncommon to have wildfires this late within the 12 months in Pennsylvania, with most burns happening within the late spring and early summer season. In 2021, for instance, there have been 1,371 fires reported all through the state, with solely seven incidents in October—and none of these burned greater than 5 acres.
“Wildfires in Pennsylvania are uncommon,” says Banfield. “I imply, it’s doable, however the sources of ignition should not almost as widespread.”
What’s Good for the Floor Is Good for the Elk
The smaller Winslow Hill Fireplace was large enough for native information shops to label it a “main forest fireplace”, despite the fact that a 100-acre burn is minuscule in comparison with those seen in Western states, the place wildfires usually burn tens (if not a whole lot) of 1000’s of acres. In consequence, wildlife managers there are at all times studying extra in regards to the interaction between elk herds and forest fires.
Within the aftermath of Colorado’s Cameron Peak Fireplace—the biggest wildfire in state historical past— researchers with Colorado Parks and Wildlife launched a migration examine to determine how collared elk reacted to the burn. Their knowledge confirmed that most of the elk didn’t appear to be affected, with some remaining of their ordinary territories and persevering with to ship radio collar indicators from throughout the fireplace boundary. Within the months that adopted the record-setting burn, researchers discovered that the elk inhabitants remained wholesome and that their total habitat had expanded.
“Now unexpectedly, that floor is getting vitamins that it didn’t have earlier than,” senior CPW biologist Shannon Schaller instructed native information shops in November 2020. “This could actually be a profit to wildlife habitat and develop what we’d name their properties or their obtainable habitat.”
Banfield and different wildlife managers in Pennsylvania are hoping for a similar leads to their very own elk herd, which continues to develop yearly, and particularly over the past decade. In 2019, Pennsylvania hunters harvested a complete of 129 elk, which was greater than twice what they harvested within the 2010. The elk harvest already reached 90 to this point this 12 months, in line with early reviews by PGC, and there’s nonetheless one other looking season that runs from December 31 to Jan. 7. After that, the state will conduct its annual winter depend, which can give managers a greater thought of how the herd is faring after the fires.
