Wildlife & Wildfires

Friday, July 17, 2026

Believe it or not, fire is a natural part of our planet's ecosystems. Prairies, for instance, would not exist without them. The fires keep trees from encroaching and turning the open grassland into woodlands. Native Americans knew this and purposefully set fires, just like we use prescribed burns today to remove unwanted, non-native plants which helps native plants flourish. Certain pine tree require the heat from a fire to release their seeds from their sealed pinecones. During active fire, some raptors seek out the burning areas to hunt for small animals and insects fleeing the flames. And the Lewis' Woodpecker even builds nests in the scorched trees. A local species, the Wild Turkey, takes advantage of burned landscapes to easily forage for dropped seeds. Animals are adaptable. 

But frequent, intensive and long lasting "megafires" are not beneficial to man nor beast. Slow moving animals often cannot escape the heat and smoke although some manage to escape underground. While animals like birds can fly away, the smoke that persists can be harmful since it includes a mixture of toxins like carbon monoxide in addition to soot and ash and fine particulate material. (Birds are actually more susceptible to air pollution than mammals, humans included, due to their highly efficient lungs.) To compound matters, unlike us, wild animals don't have an indoor place to retreat.

Despite the hazy days we have been experiencing here in northeastern Illinois, the situation for those living further north and in Canada are suffering far worse conditions with numerous active and out of control fires. Climate change is altering our weather across the globe. A local example of  climate change is this year's spring rainfall in northeastern Illinois. It was double the average and summer is looking to be record-breaking as well.

If you venture outdoors over the next few days, be mindful of the smoky conditions for both you and your pets.

To learn more about climate change in Illinois click here.

For more information on how smoke affects wildlife click here.

For more on how wildfires impact wildlife in general click here.