thing is though routine fire keeps down the encroachment of woody plants that dry up the wetlands;think muhlenberg habitat,etc.....but i definitely agree the timing of this is not ideal,that's why prescribed burns are usually done before march,when most of our beloved criters are down for the winter,out of harm's way........but 'dragon' you know better than i how resilient wildlife is esp. to natural 'disasters' such as fire,and are surprisingly adept at finding a way to hunker down and survive.of course some don't,maybe that's just natural selection at work.......anyplace a fire does burn,it's just helping keep down the fuel buildup from fire suppression,assuring that the next time it burns,it won't burn too hot,just move through fairly quickly without damaging the fire-adapted species of the forest.
admittedly i'm no forester i just find this stuff very cool,and educational to boot.man and fire(or any villified aspect of nature-think bear,venomous snakes,lrg. apex predators,etc.) can coexist if we'd just be smarter about our ecological role,i.e. work with nature instead of always trying to 'conquer'/tame/extirminate it........ok i'm off the soapbox
