Kevin Cummings asks about the effects of prescribed burns on landsnails. I
have some background and speculation to add to this interesting topic.
 
In the southeastern United States before 1492, the forests were frequently
burned by native Americans in a controlled manner that was designed to
reduce shrubs and to increase new, tender growth as forage for deer. Some
of the forests were almost parklike as a result, and the early European
settlers were able to drive their wagons through the forest in some places.
Thus, the pre-1492 woodland was, to a considerable degree, controlled by
prescribed burns. The trees that dominated these forests tended to have
tall trunks with fire-resistant bark. What kinds of snails are best able to
withstand fire? What physical or behavioral characteristics allow them to
do this (e.g., burrowing, living in treetops, a tough operculum)? What
season did the native Americans choose for burns?
 
The work of forester Roland Harper, and of others, indicates that fire
tends to restrict some kinds of trees to relatively wet areas: swamps,
bottomlands, and steep gullies. Today, prescribed burns are less
widespread, and flammable trees have become far more widespread, e.g., red
cedar (Juniperus) and sweetgum (Liquidambar). What effect has the
restriction of fire had on snail populations?
 
It is easy to ask questions that cannot be answered without a great deal of
fieldwork, but it is such an intriguing topic that I can't resist asking.
 
Andrew K. Rindsberg
Geological Survey of Alabama