Fire suppression has even contributed to the decline of species now listed as endangered, Kennedy notes. The Kirtland's warbler is one example. These small songbirds from Michigan nest only in young jack pine forests. But the pines' cones only release their seeds in a fire. So without fire, much of the birds' nesting habitat has been eliminated.
As Kennedy says, fire is a bad thing when it happens in your backyard. But it can be a healthy event for a forest—and for at least some of the animals that live there.