Nearly all ecosystems in Oklahoma have adapted with fire, making prescribed fire an essential tool in maintaining wildlife habitat. Traditionally, prescribed fire has been used to manage habitat for game species, especially white-tailed deer and northern bobwhite. But a well-planned burn also benefits a host of other wildlife species including two groups that are frequently overlooked but no less fascinating, reptiles and amphibians.
Oklahoma’s lizards, snakes, turtle, frogs, toads, and salamanders are readily found in landscapes with recurring fire. This management practice is essential in maintaining an open understory with a mixture of plant heights and structures that aids in reptile and amphibian movement. In forested habitats, researchers have found more lizard and snake species in open canopy areas that allow more sunlight to reach the ground. In contrast, a closed canopy forest blocks sunlight, creating shadier and moister environments that may be more suitable for amphibians, like salamanders. One study conducted in Mississippi found higher numbers of amphibians in burned versus unburned study plots in longleaf pine savannahs. Another research team in Missouri found that a lack of regular fire hindered the movement of collared lizards between open rocky outcrops and reduced genetic flow between populations. They found application of regular fires benefitted these lizard populations by reducing woody cover and allowing individuals to naturally disperse.
In Oklahoma, “fire season” typically peaks in February and March when most reptiles and many amphibians are largely inactive. But fire can impact these animals in spring and summer months. Because they are often sedentary during the day, many reptile and amphibian species are vulnerable to quick moving fires, especially wildfires in summer months. Even so, herpetologists have noted that many reptiles and amphibians seek refuge under woody debris, rock piles and any other available cover during a fire. Though some reptile and amphibian mortality may occur during a prescribed fire, wildlife biologists and researchers alike maintain prescribed fire is an important habitat management activity for these creatures, just as it is for birds, mammals, and invertebrates.