Most of the bison in this area winter on sites with extensive sedge cover. By postfire year 4 the sedge-grassland habitat had more than doubled in area. Fire-related snowpack changes also may have stimulated bison winter range expansion. Before the fire, the disjunct and widely scattered sedge-grasslands were separated by extensive open black spruce forest and shrublands. This habitat generally has a greater snowpack than sedge-grasslands and, therefore, is likely to discourage bison movements.
Prescribed fire is effective in mitigating bison impacts on black-tailed prairie dog colonies.
Bison use of a black-tailed prairie dog colony was compared before and after a prescribed fire on adjacent, uncolonized grassland at Wind Cave National Park, in 1979 and 1980. Bulls were less attracted to the burned site than cow-calf herds.