Impact of wildfires on ecosystems and bird communities on designated areas of blanket bog and heath

ABSTRACT

Capsule

Wildfires on moorland reduced bird species richness and abundance, along with the seedbank and abundance of ground beetles and spiders. The effects were detectable three years after the fires took place.

Aims

To describe the effects of wildfires during the breeding season on moorland birds, their habitat and ecosystem characteristics, by comparing burnt with adjacent unburnt areas in six designated sites up to three years post-fire.

Methods

Point counts of birds, vegetation height and cover, soil seedbank and pitfall traps were used to examine differences between areas burnt by wildfires and unburnt areas.

Results

One year after wildfire, bird species richness was 50% lower and abundance 32% lower on burnt compared to adjacent unburnt areas. Wildfire burnt areas had 80% of the species richness and 94% of the abundance of unburnt areas three years after wildfire. Bird species associated with upland moorland, including European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola, Common Redshank Tringa tetanus and Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus, were recorded exclusively in unburnt areas. Wildfire burnt areas were characterized by habitat generalist species and community composition in burnt areas remained distinct from unburnt areas three years after burning. Heather Calluna vulgaris and Erica spp. regenerated to 59% of the height of heather on unburnt areas three years after burning. Compared to unburnt areas, burnt areas had a reduced seedbank (22% lower), and reduced ground beetle (15% lower) and spider abundance (31% lower).

Conclusion

The immediate impacts of wildfire may differ from managed fires due to their indiscriminate character, where they occur, extent, duration and temperature. Wildfire incidence is likely to increase in cool temperate areas due to climate change and likely to undermine the characteristic features of designated areas. Research should focus on preventing wildfires, reducing their impact and accelerating the recovery of burnt moorland.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the NIEA Client Officer, Martin Bradley, and the additional input from Richard Wyle, NIEA. We are also grateful to Northern Ireland Water, Northern Ireland Forest Service, Scottish Woodlands, the Beltrim Charitable Trust and other landowners for permission to work on their land and access.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

NR was the Principal Investigator (PI) and primary author producing all figures; RK was the Post-Doctoral Research Assistant (PDRA) and conducted field and lab work; WIM was the Co-Investigator (Co-I) and provided intellectual input and editorial oversight.

Additional information

Funding

This study was commissioned and funded by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) via the Natural Heritage Research Partnership (NHRP) with Quercus, Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) in collaboration with the National Museums of Northern Ireland (NMNI).