Severe Wildfire Affects the Thermal and Moisture Regimes of At-Risk Turtle Nesting Habitat

Natural wildfire regimes are important for ecosystem succession, but increased frequency and severity of wildfire due to climate change can negatively alter habitat characteristics. In 2018, over 11,000 ha of a granite rock barrens landscape that extends along the eastern shoreline of Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, burned in a wildfire. This landscape is a biodiversity hotspot providing habitat for many species at risk, including Emydoidea …