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Female Moose Were More Likely to Migrate When Winter Ranges Had More Wildfire Disturbance

A wild yearling moose among silver-grey woodland in Atlin, British Columbia
Research · Ecology

Female moose (Alces alces) in central British Columbia, Canada were more likely to migrate in spring when a larger share of their winter range had been affected by wildfire, according to an 11-year GPS study of 461 animals across five study areas. Wildfire in the winter range was the strongest measured factor associated with whether a female migrated or remained resident.

The researchers studied partial migration, in which some animals move between distinct winter and summer ranges while others remain in the same general area year-round. They classified 836 moose-years of movement and compared migration with wildfire, logging, roads, vegetation, snow and other environmental conditions. Both recent fire during the previous five years and fire over the previous 40 years were positively associated with spring migration.

Wildfire influenced migration, but did not explain all migrants

Among migratory moose-years in which the winter range had been affected by wildfire, 76.1% ended in a summer range with less fire disturbance. Yet wildfire was not a universal explanation for migration: 79.9% of migratory moose-years had no recorded fire disturbance in the winter range. The authors therefore conclude that fire is an important part of the migration story, but other factors also influence whether individual females migrate.

Longer migration was linked to parturition, not higher adult survival

Movement strategy was also linked to reproduction. Females that had made relatively long spring migrations in the previous year were more likely to give birth than residents, whereas short-distance migrants did not show the same difference. Overall adult survival did not differ clearly between migrants and residents, although the causes of death did: migrants were more often killed by predators, while health-related deaths were more common among residents.

The authors suggest that increasing wildfire activity could alter the balance between migration and residency, but the effect may depend on where fires occur. Disturbance of winter ranges may make migration more advantageous, while extensive fire in summer ranges could reduce access to less disturbed seasonal habitat. They therefore recommend tracking changes in movement strategies alongside future changes in wildfire.

Sources and image credit

  1. Koetke, L. J., Johnson, C. J., Hodder, D. P., Anderson, M., & Horn, C. (2026). Mechanisms and impacts of migration by moose: The role of wildfire. Ecological Applications, 36(5), e70291.Primary peer-reviewed article, first published online 14 August 2026. GPS data from 461 female moose across five central British Columbia study areas showed that wildfire disturbance in winter ranges was the strongest measured factor associated with spring migration. The article also reports links between migration distance and parturition, no clear effect of movement strategy on adult survival probability, and differences in causes of mortality.

Image: Wild young moose (Alces alces) in woodland near Atlin, British Columbia, Canada, 26 May 2006. Photo: Jo Ohara. Source: Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Representative British Columbia image; not an animal or site from the study. · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

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