Educational Series: Massive Wildfires are Burning Wild Animals Alive
By Nick Engelfried
From the Pacific Northwest, to New York, to New England, vast areas of the United States have already suffered this summer from smoky conditions caused by raging wildfires, largely located in Canada. In early June, the smoke blanketing New York City resulted in the metropolitan area temporarily claiming the dubious prize for second-worst air quality in the world, outranked only by Delhi, India. The fires have forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes and brought hazardous breathing conditions to parts of the continent unused to dealing with smoky skies. However, this year’s North American fire season may soon come to seem like the new normal in a world being reshaped by climate change. And while most media accounts have focused on the human impact of the fires, it is important to remember they have a profound effect on animals, too.
Anyone familiar with Smokey Bear (also known as “Smokey the Bear”) knows fires can do deadly harm to a forest’s wild inhabitants. However, our understanding of the role fire plays in natural ecosystems has evolved significantly since the iconic fictional bear first began warning campers and hikers about its hazards. The Smokey character originated as part of a Forest Service campaign to discourage accidental forest fires in the 1940s, when a shortage of firefighters during World War II made this an especially urgent concern. Smokey’s admonition that “Only you can prevent forest fires” became famous soon after its introduction in 1947 and reminded the public about how their actions impact wild animals.
In the decades since Smokey’s creation, ecologists and foresters have come to realize that fires are in fact an important part of the natural forest cycle. Although large fires certainly can harm animals who get caught in their path, overall fires help create good wildlife habitat by weeding out sick trees, creating space for new plant life to grow, and returning nutrients to the soil. The problem is that humans have caused a massive increase in the frequency and severity of large wildfires, both by directly igniting them through carelessness, and–even more importantly–by altering Earth’s climate such that hotter, drier conditions have given rise to more damaging fire seasons. The implications for wildlife are not good.
There are profound differences between the smaller, or “low-intensity” fires that have swept across forests in North America for thousands of years, and the more damaging high-intensity fires which have become increasingly common in recent decades. Small fires tend to mainly affect the forest floor and understory, clearing out brush and small trees while leaving larger trees mostly intact. In Western North America, where natural fires are a regular occurrence, trees like Douglas-firs and Ponderosa pines have evolved thick bark that protects the living tissue underneath and allows the tree to emerge from a small fire unscathed. New plant life that emerges in the wake of a fire provides food for deer, elk, and other herbivores, while fresh ash helps fertilize the soil.
In recognition of this newer understanding of fire’s role, in 2001 the Forest Service revised Smokey Bear’s signature slogan to “Only you can prevent wildfires.” According to the official Smokey Bear website, the change was made “to clarify that Smokey is promoting the prevention of unwanted and unplanned outdoor fires,” rather than those that are beneficial to the forest ecosystem. Yet, while we now recognize how low-intensity fires end up benefiting wildlife and the forests they inhabit, a very different scenario unfolds during large, high-intensity fires like those that have swept across large parts of North America this year.
Small fires usually leave the upper branches intact, but high-intensity wildfires often leap into the forest canopy, burning trees from top to bottom so they can no longer photosynthesize. Instead of only destroying small or sick trees, these types of fire events can kill off whole swaths of forest. Even the underground roots of plants are baked to death by the extremely hot temperatures, making regeneration of plant life difficult. Instead of being incorporated into the soil, ash washes off the baked, hardened dirt, resulting in a loss of crucial nutrients from the ecosystem. Herbivore animals struggle to find food, while carnivores suffer from the drop in abundance of their prey.
Animals who cannot escape in time from a raging wildfire die an even crueler death, perishing in agony in the flames and smoke–and for threatened or endangered wildlife, a fire in the wrong place can be disastrous for the entire species. Scientists believe that fully 50% of the endangered pygmy rabbits in Washington perished in fires in 2020, an especially bad year for intense wildfires in the U.S. More than 30% of the sharp-tailed grouse and sage grouse in Washington are believed to have met a similar fate that same year.
Other parts of the world have also seen devastating impacts on wildlife from increasingly severe fires in recent years. In 2020, almost seventeen million animals died in a rare spate of fires in the Pantanal, a wetland region that includes parts of Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. In Australia, the unusually intense 2019-2020 fire season roasted alive or left homeless nearly three billion animals including imperiled species like koalas. It often takes years for researchers to fully understand the true impact a fire has had on wildlife, so it may be a long time before we know the extent of the damage from this year’s North American fires. However, what is clear is that the combination of more devastating fire seasons all over the world, on top of other human-caused pressures like habitat loss, now threaten the survival of entire animal species.
So, what is to be done about the devastating impact of out-of-control fires on wildlife? First and perhaps foremost, we must confront the root causes of climate change that are making the problem worse. This means shifting away from dependence on fossil fuels as well as adopting sustainable farming practices. At the same time, we need to recognize that decades of logging and poor forest management have left forests more vulnerable to fire than they would otherwise be. Old-growth forests with plenty of big, mature trees are less likely to catch fire than younger forests, and likely to survive with less damage when a fire does start. Protecting remaining old-growth while allowing previously logged forests to recover must be another key part of humanity’s response to the fire crisis.
If this summer has shown us anything, it is that out-of-control fires made worse by climate change have become a continent-wide problem. From small towns to the country’s largest urban centers, people and animals in all parts of the U.S. have witnessed the deadly consequences of climate change and unsustainable logging firsthand. We now have a chance to learn from past mistakes and chart a new course forward for our forests and the animals who inhabit them–if we can act in time.
Photo credit: Cameron Strandberg
Sorry. You must be logged in to view this form.
Wait, there’s one more step:
Over 1,402,880 Animal Shelter Meals Donated So Far –
Upgrade to a Premium Membership to get a free No Excuse For Animal Abuse shirt, feed shelter animals with the Educational Series and Meal Wheel, sign 100’s of petitions with one-click, remove ads, and promote your favorite petitions to millions!
7 day money-back guarantee for new members. Zero risk.
Premium Membership comes with the following perks:
• Get a free No Excuse For Animal Abuse shirt.
• Feed shelter animals by spinning the Meal Wheel.
• Sign 100’s of petitions with one-click.
• Feed shelter animals with the Educational Series quizzes.
• Remove ads and vote on which petitions are displayed to millions of people.
Our Guarantee:
Cancel your subscription for any reason within 7 days and we’ll refund 100% of your money, as long as you’re a first time member.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How are the animal shelter meals donated?
We donate shelter meals through Rescue Bank because they research all shelters, maintain equitable distribution, and track the meals from their facilities all the way to the rescue groups. This ensures that the donation will be utilized in the most efficient and impacting way.
Why don’t we just donate meals without providing any perks like the Meal Wheel?
We’ve been at this since 2008 and have learned that to really make a difference, we need to get people excited and engaged. Our mission is a serious one, but our methods are playful and educational. We’re serious about doing good, but also want to make it fun.
Who are we?
We are a family of sites that works to protect animals, the environment, and more. Our sites include AnimalPetitions.org and ForceChange.com. We’ve been at this for over a decade and are dedicated to protecting and defending animals and the environment. If we can have some fun and improve the world, then we’re accomplishing our goal!
We’ve Been Doing This for Over a Decade and Others Have Taken Notice:
Testimonials:
“Thank you SO much for the premium feature of being able to sign multiple petitions with one click. Many of us go for hours at a time signing each and every petition and crying as we read them. I have often wished for a way to sign my name on every petition because I passionately support them and they all need our voice. This is the best thing – thank you very much!” -Karilyn K., Premium Member“This is just the most amazing wonderful service that makes me so happy! To be able to feed shelter pets is just the greatest feeling. Thanks again for this, and for all you do for the most innocent and helpless among us, the animals. I’m lovestruck.” Sandra Z., Premium Member
“I love the upgrade option and I am so glad I did it.....it enables me to stand with you and many others to fight for the justice these precious souls deserve! We are their voice!!!! And....I adore helping to feed them as well! The spin the wheel game is fun....and I like doing it everyday to help! Keep up the wonderful work....and I know....every click makes a difference!” Dorothy B., Premium Member
“I am so excited to become a Premium Member and to have one-click signing, as I was spending countless hours signing petitions...not that I mind doing it, but my goodness, there sure are a lot of them. I always hope that my signature somehow helps, because these people that abuse/torture animals, need to be put away. As you can tell, that is my passion, I have such a heart for animals, and I want to be their voice.” Darlene R., Premium Member
“Thank you so much! I love being a premium member and spinning that wheel every day, especially when I land on 4 or, best of all, 5 meals. Thank you for all you do, we are all so grateful for you.” Sandy T., Premium Member
“With deepest Aloha, You have no idea how grateful I am for you!” Jan L., Premium Member
“Thank you for the Premium Membership option. I really appreciate that I can sign multiple petitions with one click. It's great! Thank you for the work you do.” Ashley H., Premium Member
“I absolutely love the Educational Series!” Yvonne L., Premium Member
"I am a premium member and religiously sign every petition. THANK YOU for this platform. I also vote for the petition nearest my heart, sometimes voting globally, sometimes I am caught by an individual animal's plight. What gives me great pleasure is noting that almost always, the percentages have no more than a 6-7% spread. It means that, overall, everyone cares about all of the petitions ALMOST EQUALLY! LOL, I also spin that wheel, and when I get 4 or 5 meals, I dance around the room! I have long maintained that what someone does to a helpless animal, they will do to a weaker human if they think that they can get away with it. Those who abuse, no matter how many legs their victims have, should be punished to the fullest extent of the law." Rebecca E., Premium Member
"I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Premium Membership! Everything and anything I can do to help animals and contribute to justice in the world makes me very happy!" Jan L., Premium Member
"Thank you, I love what you do. My friends and I love the membership because we can sign so many more petitions that we may never had heard of. Keep up the good work." Virginia G., Premium Member
Still have questions? Email us: animalpetitions@forcechange.com
Nick Engelfried Writes About Animals, the Environment, and Conservation for the ForceChange network
