Studies on the Sacramento Mountain Salamander: Effects of Logging and Fire

Research Task: 83279SW.4.0
Task Manager: Cindy Ramotnik

Despite their inconspicuousness, plethodontid salamanders are important components of the energy flow of many forest ecosystems. However, any action that opens the forest canopy and reduces the density of understory vegetation or the depth of the leaf litter can affect the abundance and above-ground activity of terrestrial salamanders. Forest disturbances such as logging and wildfire can have devastating impacts on salamander abundance and long-term survival. The findings of a 10-year study of the effect of timber harvest on the Sacramento Mountain salamander (Aneides hardii) suggest that salamanders can recover after 7 years from some levels of timber harvest when the harvest method is moderate (shelterwood cuts) and concentrated in small areas (a few hectares in size). Results from a 5-year study on the effects of wildfire on salamander abundance show that fire severity affects population size and detection probabilities of salamanders. The effects of fire on salamander numbers on lightly burned sites were not extreme and may have actually created temporary conditions favorable for the salamander. In contrast, despite an immediate temporary increase in investigators' ability to detect salamanders on severely burned sites, counts of salamanders in those areas declined sharply 1 year after the fire and remained low for 5 years. In general, detection probabilities of the Sacramento Mountain salamander are much higher than those found in eastern plethodontid salamanders and probably reflect the drier, less hospitable, and more open nature of forests in southern New Mexico.

 For more information contact Cindy Ramotnik