No it doesn’t. Post fire habitat generation has been extensively observed and documented for the last hundred years. What’s funny is how this is all now ascribed to the magic wolves in Yellowstone, but not in burned forests where there are no wolves, yet the same regeneration occurs.
Interesting. It would seem that two different types of situations occur. In one fire destroys ground cover indiscriminately along with small trees (certain types excepted, such as pitch pine, which REQUIRES fire for the cones to open).
In the other, what the article is saying is that areas overgrazed by deer are relieved of that pressure by the presence of wolf packs which drive them from open areas, allowing reforestation in those areas.
I never heard of this scenario with the “magic” wolves before, but what they are saying here appears to make some kind of sense.
I don’t know if this somethnig that reliable ecologists have worked out, or some group opposed to wolf hunting. I just don’t know.