Fire in the wilderness a positive for wildlife who live there

As the Greenwood fire threatened to spread to historic proportions this week, ecologists couldn't help but think of a vivid silver lining for moose, bear, grouse and other critters.

Especially for moose, listed in 2013 as a Minnesota species of special concern, the giant fire disturbance in Lake County will only improve an already vital segment of their home range, the experts said.

"To me, these areas where we've had big fires are some of the best moose habitats we have in the state,'' said Mike Schrage, wildlife biologist for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

He and others predict that moose and other animals eventually will return to the Greenwood fire area in larger numbers than before the blaze to feed on emergent vegetation as the forest regenerates with brushy plants like dogwood and saplings of willow, aspen, birch and other trees.

Whitetail deer, they said, are one notable exception, because they favor small forest openings, not huge expanses. And in the north, the deer need dense conifer stands for winter cover. But the 40 square miles of burned forest near Isabella, between Babbitt and Finland, wasn't a stronghold for deer even before the lightning-caused fire was detected Aug. 15.

The experts said wildfires in the region this summer have only displaced birds and animals. Any wildlife mortality has been minimal, they said.

"We hate to see the fire come uncontrolled like this, but if you were just managing wildlife that's how you create positives,'' said Ted Dick, forest habitat supervisor for the Department of Natural Resources in Grand Rapids.

For black bears, burned-out areas rebound to produce bumper crops of blueberries, raspberries and other foods. The abundance helps sows nurture more cubs. Woodcock and ruffed grouse also flourish in young, shrub-dominated forests.

But if the aftermath to the Greenwood fire follows expectations, it will take a few years for wildlife to return in any numbers. In the meantime, the fire itself and related closures of roads and public lands will interfere with bear hunting, upland bird hunting, waterfowl hunting and the seasonal gathering of wild rice.

Bailey Petersen, DNR assistant area wildlife manager in Two Harbors, said state-permitted wild rice harvesters could miss out on a good year of natural production in areas around McDougal Lake, Sand Lake, Greenwood Lake and the Stony River.

"It's all pretty good wild rice this year,'' she said.

And while a sizable portion of the burned area is private land — including miles and miles of forest owned by a wealthy family from North Carolina — pockets of state, federal and county land will be inaccessible. And, of course, hunting in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is off-limits until at least Sept. 3 — the earliest date for a possible reopening.

With bear-hunting season opening statewide Sept. 1, a DNR official said the agency is scrambling to provide refunds or options for 50 people who obtained permits this year to hunt bears inside the BWCA. In normal times, the wilderness area also offers opportunities for waterfowl hunters starting with the early goose season. There's a chance the wilderness area still will be closed when that season opens Sept. 4 in conjunction with a new, five-day teal season.

Ruffed grouse season doesn't open until Sept. 18, but Petersen said certain U.S. Forest Service campgrounds used by fall hunters still may be closed. Also in doubt is the Jackpot Loop Trail, often used by ATV riders for grouse hunting, she said. It was closed earlier this week because of the Greenwood fire.

Professional bear hunting guide Richard Krech Jr. of Finland said he's noticed an influx of bears into the area south and east of Greenwood Lake. That's where he's been setting up baits at 36 locations for customers. Krech said bears in his area were already numerous before the fire and have been "destroying'' bait food after a summer of drought and poor berry production.

He said a small number of hunters who aren't his customers planned to stage themselves north of Finland in areas now off-limits. But they have time to relocate, Krech said, because the permit area (Number 31 as designated by the DNR) is quite large.

"I was worried they would be kicking us all out of the woods but now I don't think so,'' he said.

The footprint of the active Greenwood fire remained far smaller this week than that of the Pagami Creek fire of 2011. Wildlife biologists now point to that historic, 145-square-mile burn as a boon for moose.

Schrage, who flies over northeastern Minnesota every winter to count moose, said he saw no animal tracks of any kind for three years inside Pagami's perimeter. But since the area greened up, it's been a haven for wildlife, especially moose, he said. The new habitat will suit the iconic animals until new-growth jack pines mature and take over the landscape.

Schrage said the Greenwood fire promises to provide a better long-term trajectory for moose than the Pagami Creek fire did. That's because higher components of aspen and birch are expected to regenerate, not just conifers.

He said whitetails like young forests, too, but massive tracts of the habitat aren't as beneficial to them as they are to moose. By fortunate coincidence for moose, the newly burned area is close to land east of Greenwood Lake that recently was logged as part of a state project to improve wildlife habitat.

"For moose, the bigger the better,'' Schrage said.