Fire – when managed – is effective in clearing dead, woody debris off the forest floor and spawning the new growth of native grasses and shrubs desired by elk and other wildlife.
On the other hand, high-severity wildfires can burn overly hot, decimating forestland, destroying root systems, killing nutrients in the soil and often clogging nearby waterways with silt and other debris that harm both wildlife and fish species.
Plus, they may close forests to public access, endanger human lives and destroy homes.
In 2024 alone, more than 50,000 wildfires scorched eight million acres across western states – much of which serves as important wildlife habitat.
Thanks to a recent allocation from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and its group of partners, the cumulative amount of funding for post-fire forest restoration work from 2021 to 2024 exceeds $10 million across the West.
Among a number of 2024 projects are restoring two wildlife water sources in Arizona, thinning and prescribed burns to restore critical migration corridor habitat in Montana, invasive weed treatment in Nevada and Wyoming, and replacing traditional fencing with virtual fencing in Oregon.
All that amounts to good news for elk, mule deer, moose, turkey, upland birds and an array of other fish and wildlife species that live on these landscapes.
Restoring elk country is core to RMEF’s mission of ensuring the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage.
Since 1984, RMEF helped conserve or enhance more than 9.1 million acres of wildlife habitat.