Managing fire for more species: Landscape mosaics benefit plants and animals in Sierra Nevada forests

Abstract

In the dry, fire-adapted forests of California’s Sierra Nevada - where yellow pine, mixed conifer, and red fir historically burned on frequent, low-to-moderate severity cycles - restoring historical fire regimes has been a guiding principle for ecological management. But most contemporary forests in this region are far from that benchmark. Instead, these forests have been shaped by decades of fire suppression, and increasingly, by megafires at the opposite extreme.

Citation

Kantor, Sylvia; Steel, Zachary L.; Meyer, Marc D.; Wuenschel, Amarina. 2026. Managing fire for more species: Landscape mosaics benefit plants and animals in Sierra Nevada forests. Science You Can Use (in 5 Minutes), July 2026. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 2 p.