1. Using Birds to Guide Post-fire Management in the Plumas & Lassen National Forests Ryan D. Burnett, Nathaniel Seavy, and Diana Humple 4/21/2011

2. PRBO Conservation Science Study Objectives Assess the influence of post-fire conditions on spatial and temporal variation in landbird populations - diversity and abundance of a suite of landbird species - woodpecker cavity use - linking avian metrics with habitat conditions at multiple spatial scales Inform forest management decisions to promote diverse and resilient forest ecosystems across multiple spatial scales

3. PRBO Conservation Science Study Sites

4. PRBO Conservation Science Fire Age, Size, Patch Size, and Severity Varies Cub ~15,000 acres – Summer 2008 12% High Severity Moonlight ~ 66,000 acres Summer 2007 56.5% high severity Storrie ~”52,000” acres – Fall 2000 28% high severity

5. PRBO Conservation Science Site Selection Random Stratified sample (public land, slope<40 percent, 1km from road or trail, 1500m between starting points) Sample size per fire based on accessible area 17 Storrie Fire Transects (4 private) 32 Moonlight Fire Transects (6 private) 13 Cub Fire Transects (0 private)

6. PRBO Conservation Science Sampling Transect Five exact distance point count surveys per transect 2-4 hour cavity nest search of 20ha plot

7. PRBO Conservation Science Habitat Surveys 50m radius vegetation surveys at each point count station 11.3m radius snag plot at each nest, point count station, and 5 random locations – DBH, decay class, tree species, scorch height, etc. Classified Severity Using Composite Burn Index Point Count Stations & Random Snag Plot - example

8. PRBO Conservation Science Storrie Greatest Diversity and Abundance

9. PRBO Conservation Science Riparian Areas Serve as Refugia on Private Land

10. PRBO Conservation Science Avian Abundance Varies by Severity & Fire

11. PRBO Conservation Science Nest Tree Size Varies by Woodpecker Species

12. PRBO Conservation Science Most Species Select for Broken Tops

13. PRBO Conservation Science All Species Selecting for Dead & Decaying Trees

14. PRBO Conservation Science Black-backed Woodpecker Nest Sites = High Snag Densities ~277/ha (111/acre)

15. PRBO Conservation Science Black-backed Woodpecker Use = Very High Snag Densities beyond the micro-nest site Mean Snag Density across 20ha plots with BBWO Nests Mean Snag Density within 11.3m of BBWO nests

16. PRBO Conservation Science Post-fire habitat is Unique & Heterogeneous

17. PRBO Conservation Science Early Successional - Disturbance Dependent Species left out in the rain Regression Coefficient ← Decrease in Owl Habitat Increase in Owl Habitat →

18. PRBO Conservation Science Early Seral & Habitat Mosaics R 2 =0.21, p<0.0001

19. PRBO Conservation Science Conclusions Post-fire habitat – including areas that burned at high severity – are an important component of the ecosystem necessary for maintaining biological diversity in the Sierra Nevada Time since fire & fire severity both appear to influence avian community Post-fire salvaged areas on private land support significantly less diverse and abundant avian community Existing snags on the landscape (prior to fire) are important resource for cavity nesting birds the first 3 to 5 years post-fire Black-backed Woodpecker are nesting in areas with very high snag densities (100 – 300 per acre)

20. PRBO Conservation Science Future Direction Temporal & spatial effects of fire severity on bird diversity, abundance, and cavity use Spatially explicit habitat suitability models to help guide future post-fire management Compare bird assemblages between green forest and post-fire habitat with and without treatments

21. PRBO Conservation Science Bird Response to Commercial DFPZ Harvest 122 points treated with DFPZs (only) 2005 – 2009 Lassen and Plumas National Forests 122 reference points selected using cladogram to determine most appropriate reference for each treated sites

22. PRBO Conservation Science Cladogram to Select Reference Sites

23. PRBO Conservation Science Analysis Dependent variables: abundance of 15 focal species, total bird abundance, & species richness Data from 2004-2010 Generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) with Poisson distributions Controlled for random effects (point, year, transect) Compared: -reference to pre-treatment -year-since-treatment to reference sites -year-since-treatment to pre-treatment sites

24. PRBO Conservation Science Preliminary Results

25. PRBO Conservation Science Four main uses of the website: 1) view project results through ‘packaged’ analyses 2) view study locations and presence/absence on a map 3) download raw data (survey results and locations) 4) Access reports, publications, and other literature Sierra Nevada Avian Monitoring Information Network

26. PRBO Conservation Science Thank You! Plumas & Lassen National Forests H.F. Quincy Library Group Monitoring Program PSW SNRC – Peter Stine Resources Legacy Fund Field Crew: Paul Taillie, Mel Preston, Tiffany Russell, Brendan McGarry, Jason St. Pierre, Meghan Horne-Brine, Alicia Arcidiacono, Simone Cook, Joe Michael, Doug Zimmerman