Recovery after fire?

[brock lube]

Sarvis Creek has been closed due to fires recently. How long before wildlife starts to come back to the area? Will there be decent vegetation by 2020 archery season?

 

[Ross]

Recovery can be a matter of weeks depending on the vegetation prior to the fire, intensity of the fire, time of year, precipitation and altitude. After a full year I would expect most places to have some good vegetation, contingent on the variables noted. I've shot two bulls feeding on fire burned areas from the summer about 90-120 days later.

 

[brock lube]

interesting.. Thanks for your input.

 

[cnelk]

A couple years ago when the Beaver Cr fire burned [just to the north of Sarvis Cr] the elk were back in the fire area by rifle seasons in October of the same year.

 

[freebird134]

They come back immediately. The flush of nutrients and light hitting the groups will generate high quality vegetation that animals can’t resist. I was speaking to a FS fire admin that said he was seeing elk in areas that were still smoldering.


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[brock lube]

wow. that's good stuff! thanks

 

[psp8ball]

As Ross eluded to, it depends on the severity of the fire. One of the spots I hunt in Montana burned 5 years ago. It still looks like the moon. Only a handful of ankle high trees starting to emerge. The elk took about 3 years to return, numbers are still not anywhere close to what they were pre-fire.

 

[brock lube]

As Ross eluded to, it depends on the severity of the fire. One of the spots I hunt in Montana burned 5 years ago. It still looks like the moon. Only a handful of ankle high trees starting to emerge. The elk took about 3 years to return, numbers are still not anywhere close to what they were pre-fire.

Bummer! That diffidently sucks. Thanks

 

[SelwaySteve]

Fire usually does nothing that cuts down on feed even the first year after. Shade/cover takes the longest to grow back, but you don't need it all to be timbered. If there are still patches of shady timber nearby, fire is a short term effect.