Positive effects of fire on birds may appear only under narrow combinations of fire severity and time-since-fire

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 1074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Hutto ◽  
David A. Patterson
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Salvage Logging ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Time Since Fire ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forest

We conducted bird surveys in 10 of the first 11 years following a mixed-severity fire in a dry, low-elevation mixed-conifer forest in western Montana, United States. By defining fire in terms of fire severity and time-since-fire, and then comparing detection rates for species inside 15 combinations of fire severity and time-since-fire, with their rates of detection in unburned (but otherwise similar) forest outside the burn perimeter, we were able to assess more nuanced effects of fire on 50 bird species. A majority of species (60%) was detected significantly more frequently inside than outside the burn. It is likely that the beneficial effects of fire for some species can be detected only under relatively narrow combinations of fire severity and time-since-fire. Because most species responded positively and uniquely to some combination of fire severity and time-since-fire, these results carry important management implications. Specifically, the variety of burned-forest conditions required by fire-dependent bird species cannot be created through the application of relatively uniform low-severity prescribed fires, through land management practices that serve to reduce fire severity or through post-fire salvage logging, which removes the dead trees required by most disturbance-dependent bird species.

scholarly journals Nest Densities of Cavity-Nesting Birds in Relation to Postfire Salvage Logging and Time Since Wildfire

The Condor ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 109 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria A. Saab ◽  
Robin E. Russell ◽  
Jonathan G. Dudley
Keyword(s):  
Open Space ◽  
Nest Survival ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Nest Density ◽  
Salvage Logging ◽  
American Kestrel ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
Time Since Fire ◽  
Mountain Bluebird

Abstract Abstract We monitored the nest densities and nest survival of seven cavity-nesting bird species, including four open-space foragers (American Kestrel [Falco sparverius], Lewis's Woodpecker [Melanerpes lewis], Western Bluebird [Sialia mexicana], and Mountain Bluebird [S. currucoides]) and three wood-foragers (Hairy Woodpecker [Picoides villosus], Black-backed Woodpecker [P. arcticus], and Northern Flicker [Colaptes auratus]), after two wildfires (one partially salvage-logged and one unlogged) in western Idaho from 1994–2004. We estimated the relationship between nest density and time since fire, tested for statistical differences in nest densities and nest survival in the partially salvage-logged vs. unlogged wildfires, and tested for differences in nest survival between early (1–4 years after fire) and late (5–12 years after fire) postfire periods. Nest densities of open-space foragers and Northern Flickers generally increased with time since fire, whereas nest densities of Black-backed and Hairy Woodpeckers peaked 4–5 years postfire. Nest densities of wood-foraging species and Mountain Bluebirds were significantly higher in the unlogged burn, whereas Lewis's Woodpeckers had significantly higher nest densities in the partially logged burn. Kestrels tended to favor the partially logged burn, while Western Bluebird nest densities were nearly equal in both burned areas. For most species, postfire period and treatment (partially logged vs. unlogged) had little influence on nest survival. However, Hairy Woodpecker nest survival was significantly lower in the partially logged burn versus the unlogged wildfire in the early postfire period, and Lewis's Woodpecker nest survival was significantly reduced in the later postfire period versus the early postfire period in the partially logged burn. Importantly, the salvage logging was designed to retain more than half of the snags over 23 cm in diameter, which provided suitable nesting habitat for open-space foragers during the decade following fire.

Songbird response to wildfire in mixed-conifer forest in south-western Oregon

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel E. Seavy ◽  
John D. Alexander
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forest ◽  
Broadleaf Species ◽  
Induced Changes ◽  
Nest Predators

We used 1 year of pre-fire and 4 years of post-fire data to quantify changes in the occurrence of birds at burned and unburned sites in a southern Oregon watershed after a 2500-ha wildfire. Our objectives were to identify bird species that increased or decreased as a result of this mixed-severity fire. Of the 27 species we investigated, we found evidence for fire-induced changes in the proportion of sites occupied by 13 species. Of these, most (8 species) were species that occurred at fewer sites after the fire than before. These changes were consistent with changes in vegetation composition, which included a decrease in the cover of conifer species and an increase in the cover of broadleaf species. To evaluate the effect of the fire on other ecological conditions, we compared the abundance of nest predators and potential prey items (arthropod biomass) between burned and unburned areas in the 3rd and 4th years after the fire. We found little evidence that the abundance of nest predators differed between burned and unburned areas in either year. There was, however, substantial spatial and temporal variation in arthropod abundance. Hemipteran and coleopteran biomass was greater in burned areas in both the 3rd and 4th year after the fire, and overall arthropod biomass was greater in the 4th year after the fire. The spatial and temporal variability in the bird response to this fire illustrates the importance of before–after–control–impact and multi-year studies for understanding the effects of large-scale disturbances on avian community composition.

Effects of post-fire logging on fuel dynamics in a mixed-conifer forest, Oregon, USA: a 10-year assessment

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 646 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Campbell ◽  
Daniel C. Donato ◽  
Joseph B. Fontaine
Keyword(s):  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Salvage Logging ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forest ◽  
Live Fuels ◽  
Biscuit Fire ◽  
Fuel Dynamics ◽  
Fine Fuels ◽  
Sclerophyllous Vegetation ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Or Modelling

Removal of fire-killed trees (i.e. post-fire or salvage logging) is often conducted in part to reduce woody fuel loads and mitigate potential reburn effects. Studies of post-salvage fuel dynamics have primarily used chronosequence or modelling approaches, with associated limitations; longitudinal studies tracking fuels over time have been rare. We resampled a network of post-fire plots, comprising a range of logging intensities, 10 years after the 2002 Biscuit Fire (Oregon, USA). For surface woody fuels, which started from large treatment differences immediately following logging (stepwise increases with harvest intensity), we found converging trends among treatments at 10 years, with convergence nearly complete for fine fuels but not for coarse fuels. Fire-killed snags for the dominant species (Pseudotsuga menziesii) decayed while standing at a statistically significant rate (single-exponential k = 0.011), similar to or only slightly slower than down wood, suggesting that not all snag biomass will reach the forest floor. Live vegetation (largely resprouting sclerophyllous vegetation) is beginning to dominate surface fuel mass and continuity (>100% cover) and likely moderates differences associated with woody fuels. Post-fire logging had little effect on live fuels or their change over time, suggesting high potential for stand-replacing early-seral fire regardless of post-fire harvest treatments.

Fire severity alters the distribution of pyrogenic carbon stocks across ecosystem pools in a Californian mixed-conifer forest

2017 ◽  
Vol 122 (9) ◽  
pp. 2338-2355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernardo Maestrini ◽  
Erin C. Alvey ◽  
Matthew D. Hurteau ◽  
Hugh Safford ◽  
Jessica R. Miesel
Keyword(s):  
Fire Severity ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Pyrogenic Carbon ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forest

Early avian functional assemblages after fire, clearcutting, and post-fire salvage logging in North American forests

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fidèle Bognounou ◽  
Lisa Venier ◽  
Steven Van Wilgenburg ◽  
Isabelle Aubin ◽  
André Arsenault ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Salvage Logging ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Avian Assemblages

Increased demand for timber, the reduction in the available timber resources, more frequent and severe forest fires under a changing climate have increased the use of salvage logging in North American forests despite concerns regarding impacts on biodiversity and long-term forest productivity. We aimed to complement previous approaches that used bird species richness or individual abundance in salvage-logged habitats to assess the sustainability of this practice. We looked for commonalities in the taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic components of bird assemblages among these three post-disturbance habitats across a broad geographic range. We compiled six North American datasets selected from primary and grey literature that documented species composition of avian assemblages in habitats after recent fire, post-fire salvage logging and traditional logging. Our results revealed contrasting patterns of bird trait assemblage among burned, post-fire salvage and traditionally logged habitats. In salvage-logged habitats, taxonomic diversity, functional diversity, functional and phylogenetic redundancy were significantly lower than in both burned and traditionally logged habitats. The frequency of insectivores was significantly lower after salvage logging than after both fire and traditional logging. These findings suggest that cumulative disturbances have a negative effect on early assembly of bird communities. The outcomes of this study encourage further assessments, at landscape level, of salvage logging intensity, burn size and fire severity on bird functional structure to better plan for their conservation.

Holocene fire history reconstruction of a mid-elevation mixed-conifer forest in the Eastern Cascades, Washington (USA)

The Holocene ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 095968362098803
Author(s):  
Zoe A Rushton ◽  
Megan K Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Fire History ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
The Past ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forest ◽  
Fire Activity ◽  
Eastern Cascades

Fire histories of mid-elevation mixed-conifer forests are uncommon in the eastern Cascades, limiting our understanding of long-term fire dynamics in these environments. The purpose of this study was to reconstruct the fire and vegetation history for a moist mid-elevation mixed-conifer site, and to determine whether Holocene fire activity in this watershed was intermediate to fire regimes observed at higher and lower elevations in the eastern Cascades. Fire activity and vegetation change was reconstructed using macroscopic charcoal and pollen analysis of sediment core from Long Lake. This site is located ~45 km west of Yakima, WA, and exists in a grand fir-dominated, mixed-conifer forest. Results show low fire activity from ca. 9870 to 6000 cal yr BP, after which time fire increased and remained frequent until ca. 500 cal yr BP. A woodland environment existed at the site in the early Holocene, with the modern coniferous forest establishing ca. 6000–5500 cal yr BP. A mixed-severity fire regime has existed at the site for the past ~6000 years, with both higher- and lower-severity fire episodes occurring on average every ~80–100 years. However, only one fire episode occurred in the Long Lake watershed during the past 500 years, and none within the past ~150 years. Based on a comparison with other eastern Cascade sites, Holocene fire regimes at Long Lake, particularly during the late Holocene, appear to be intermediate between those observed at higher- and lower elevation sites, both in terms of fire severity and frequency.

Salvage logging reduces wild bee diversity, but not abundance, in severely burned mixed-conifer forest

2019 ◽  
Vol 453 ◽  
pp. 117622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara M. Galbraith ◽  
James H. Cane ◽  
Andrew R. Moldenke ◽  
James W. Rivers
Keyword(s):  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Salvage Logging ◽  
Wild Bee ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forest ◽  
Bee Diversity

scholarly journals The Effects of Postfire Salvage Logging on Cavity-Nesting Birds

The Condor ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (4) ◽  
pp. 817-831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Hutto ◽  
Susan M. Gallo
Keyword(s):  
Nest Site ◽  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Salvage Logging ◽  
Northern Rocky Mountains ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Cavity Nesters ◽  
Cavity Nesting ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forest ◽  
Management Area ◽  
Minimum Number

Abstract Abstract We investigated the effects of postfire salvage logging on cavity-nesting birds by comparing nest densities and patterns of nest reuse over a three-year period in seven logged and eight unlogged patches of mixed-conifer forest in the Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area, Montana. We found 563 active nests of 18 cavity-nesting birds; all species were found nesting in the uncut burned forest plots, but only eight nested in the salvage-logged plots. All except one species nested at a higher density in the unlogged areas, and half of the species were significantly more abundant in the unlogged plots. Every timber-drilling and timber-gleaning species was less abundant in the salvage-logged plots, including two of the most fire-dependent species in the northern Rocky Mountains—American Three-toed (Picoides dorsalis) and Black-backed (P. arcticus) Woodpeckers. Lower abundances in salvage-logged plots occurred despite the fact that there were still more potential nest snags per hectare than the recommended minimum number needed to support maximum densities of primary cavity-nesters, which suggests that reduced woodpecker densities are more related to a reduction in food (wood-boring beetle larvae) than to nest-site availability. Because cavities were present in only four of 244 randomly selected trees, and because frequency of cavity reuse by secondary cavity-nesters was higher in salvage-logged than in unlogged plots, nest-site limitation may be a more important constraint for secondary cavity-nesters in salvage-logged areas. These results suggest that typical salvage logging operations are incompatible with the maintenance of endemic levels of most cavity-nesting bird populations, especially populations of primary cavity-nesting species.

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