This is a fire tolerant species which has adapted to allow fire to be utilized at an early stage of its life. Once the diseased needles on young pine trees have been consumed by fire, the blight is controlled, and the seedling can continue to store carbohydrates in their roots. Improvement of Wildlife Habitat Fire and wildlife have had a long and intimate association both in and out of a forest environment. Unlike wildfire, prescribed fire is rarely lethal to most forms of wildlife. It does, however, have profound effects.
Fire is an efficient and economical tool for improving habitat for certain wildlife species.
Prescribed burning alone is the only alternative in most cases to increasing and maintaining healthy wildlife populations. Increase yield of herbaceous plants and legumes, Increase in browse and browse quality, and Openings for feeding and travel and increased edge effect. In Florida, more acres are burned for grazing purposes than for all other uses of fire combined. Both forest and non-forest land uses are involved. Cattle gains were much greater on burned range than on unburned range during the spring, and 2 to 3 times higher for the entire season.