A preliminary investigation into the potential impacts of fire on a forest dependent burrowing frog species

Abstract

The impact of fire on anurans is generally poorly understood and the response appears to vary between species, habitats and regions (Pilliod et al. 2003). Studies monitoring population size following fires have observed populations increasing (Kirkland et al. 1996; Roberts et al. 1999), remaining stable (Bamford 1992; deMaynadier and Hunter 1995; Lemckert et al. 2004) and decreasing (Bamford 1992; Driscoll and Roberts 1999; Papp and Papp 2000), with one study observing a localized extinction (Lemckert 2000). Therefore, when fire has a negative impact, it can be severe and present a serious management issue.