In recent years megafires (wildfires exceeding 100,000 acres) have become increasingly common in the western united states, and as climate changes the frequency and intensity of such events is…

The U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service (DOI FWS) Region 1 awarded the State of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) a Formula Grant totaling $391,097 under the Wildlife Restoration and Basic Hunter Education and Safety program (CFDA 15.611), with an award date of July 1, 2025, and completion date of June 30, 2026. This grant funds an in-depth wildlife monitoring and research effort conducted by ODFW's Wildlife Research Program in response to the severe megafire seasons of 2020 and 2021 in Oregon.

The primary deliverable is a comprehensive post-fire wildlife response and recovery monitoring study in the Dixon and Indigo Wildlife Management Units in Douglas County, Oregon. The research will assess how fire intensity, pre-fire landscape management practices, and microsite characteristics impact the occupancy, distribution, and population dynamics (colonization and extinction turnover) of 39 Oregon Conservation Strategy species. The study findings will directly support ODFW's development of science-based recommendations and policies for wildlife conservation, habitat management, and ecosystem restoration across Pacific Northwest forested landscapes impacted by large-scale wildfires, addressing an increasingly critical need as megafire frequency and intensity are expected to rise with climate change.

In recent years megafires (wildfires exceeding 100,000 acres) have become increasingly common in the western united states, and as climate changes the frequency and intensity of such events is expected to increase. The state of oregon has experienced more than 20 megafires since 2000, but the scale and scope of the 2020 and 2021 fire seasons, the worst in a century, made IT clear that a future of intense megafires in the pacific northwest has arrived. In response to the anticipated rise in the frequency and intensity of wildfire in the pacific northwest, IT is imperative to understand how wildlife respond to large and severe fires, and how to best manage forested landscapes to mitigate some of the negative effects and improve ecosystem recovery. To better understand post-fire response and recovery of wildlife the odfw wildlife research program initiated an in-depth monitoring effort following two severe mega-fires in the dixon and indigo wildlife management units in douglas county, oregon. Our results will demonstrate how fire intensity, pre-fire landscape management, and microsite characteristics impact the occupancy, distribution, and local colonization and extinction (i.e., turnover) of wildlife, including 39 oregon conservation strategy species (table 1). This effort will allow odfw to develop appropriate recommendations and polices for conservation, management, and restoration of a large array of wildlife and habitats impacted by wildfires in the pacific northwest.