Bushy-tailed woodrats can probably escape most fires by taking refuge in rocky habitats. Bushy-tailed woodrats residing in riparian areas are probably protected by their habitat, which tends to burn infrequently and in a patchy pattern. Specific information was not available regarding the effects of fire on bushy-tailed woodrat habitat.
Fire regimes vary in the communities in which bushy-tailed woodrats occur.
Western hemlock forests along the coast have a fire-free interval of about 750 years. Bushy-tailed woodrats are found in early successional through climax stages of succession. Their presence depends more on cover and food availability than on seral stage.