Why do wood bison show a strong preference for foraging on recently burned areas?
Answer
Fire makes the new, nutrient-rich spring growth accessible and palatable.
The feeding habits of the wood bison directly interact with ecosystem management techniques like prescribed burning. They actively seek out and prefer to forage in areas that have recently experienced fire. This preference is highly beneficial ecologically because the fire clears away old, persistent dead plant material. This process allows the subsequent new, nutrient-rich spring growth of grasses and sedges to become much more accessible for consumption and significantly more palatable to the bison.
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