Preburn Characteristics and Woodpecker Use of Burned Coniferous Forests

Large wildfires are common in many western coniferous forests, and these fires can affect woodpecker reproduction and habitat use. Our objectives were to examine nesting densities, reproductive parameters, and species-specific habitat selection of woodpeckers in a recently burned region of the Black...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of wildlife management 2008-02, Vol.72 (2), p.422-427
Main Authors: Vierling, Kerri T, Lentile, Leigh B, Nielsen-Pincus, Nicole
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Animal nesting
Animal populations
animal reproduction
Bird nesting
Birds
Black Hills
breeding season
burn severity
canopy
Colaptes
Coniferous forests
density
Forest & brush fires
Forest canopy
Forest fires
Forest habitats
Game and Nongame Birds
Grassland fires
habitat preferences
Habitat selection
Habitat utilization
Habitats
MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION
Melanerpes
nest-site selection
Nesting
nesting sites
Picidae
Picoides
Pine trees
Pinus ponderosa
population density
Reproduction
Site selection
snags
Studies
Trees
Wildfires
wildlife habitats
wildlife management
Woodpeckers
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Large wildfires are common in many western coniferous forests, and these fires can affect woodpecker reproduction and habitat use. Our objectives were to examine nesting densities, reproductive parameters, and species-specific habitat selection of woodpeckers in a recently burned region of the Black Hills in South Dakota, USA, between 2001 and 2004. Postfire nesting densities were greatest in areas dominated by high prefire canopy cover, and reproductive success averaged >70%. For some species of woodpeckers, factors such as diameter at breast height, burn severity, and distance to unburned patches were important for nest-site selection. Our data indicated that nesting densities of many woodpeckers in the Black Hills were lower than what has been recorded elsewhere following recent, large wildfires in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests. Management activities that simulate mixed-severity fire effects and retain higher numbers of large snags are likely to benefit cavity nesters in this region.
ISSN:0022-541X
1937-2817
DOI:10.2193/2006-212