Fire management may hinder biodiversity

earning to coexist with fire is one of the greatest challenges to living in the West. In most of California, the question is not whether the land will burn but when. While there are few data on how fire affects the diversity of plants and animals, what we do know suggests that the way we manage fire is contributing to a decline in biodiversity. The loss of biodiversity statewide is a growing concern. With the decline of species and ecosystems comes degradation of the environment, and reduced sustainability of forests and rangelands. Given concerns about fire management and biodiversity, exactly how we should change today’s fire regime is being hotly debated.