Tarbill, Gina

Gina Tarbill, USFS Pacific Southwest Research StationPatricia N. Manley, USFS Pacific Southwest Research StationT. Will Richardson, USFS Pacific Southwest Research StationWilliam Avery, Sacramento State University

Burn severityIsolation and extent of burned areaColonization abilityPhoto credit: John Briggs, birdinginmaine.comFacilitative actions of keystonespecies

Early colonizersCreate foragingareasPhoto credit: Tom Grey and US Forest ServiceMediateinsectpopulationsCreate habitatthrough cavityexcavation

• Depend on woodpeckersfor cavities• Diverse• Seed dispersers• Insectivores• Prey base• Raptors and smallcarnivores• Species of concern

Determine the influence ofwoodpeckers on colonization ofbirds and mammals in burnedforestDetermine factors influencingwoodpecker nest site selection inburned forest

Black-backed woodpecker Hairy woodpecker White-headed woodpeckerPicoides arcticus P. villosus P. albolarvatusPhoto credit: Ron Wolf, Birds of North America

ExcavatorNestsdiscoveredNestsmonitoredNests withdetectionBlack-backedWoodpeckerHairyWoodpeckerWhite-headedWoodpeckerTotals39 18 89%80 26 73%50 32 94%169 76 86%

Mean species richness1.81.61.41.210.80.60.40.20Black-backedWoodpecker(n=28)Hairy Woodpecker(n=26)White-headedWoodpecker(n=32)Significant difference in meanrank of species richness(Kruskal-Wallis, H 2 =7.10,p=0.03)Photo credit: T. Will Richardson

Black-backedWoodpeckerWhite-headedWoodpeckerHairy WoodpeckerProportion of use< 0.100.10- 0.49> 0.50NorthernFlyingSquirrelNorthernFlickerHouseWrenAmericanKestrelChipmunkMountainChickadeeWesternBluebirdMountainBluebirdWhitebreastedNuthatchDouglasSquirrel

260Shaded area is 95% confidence interval

Scorched, shorter,and highly decayedsnags in standswithout small treesSmallerdiameter lessdecayed snags instands with highdensity of smallsnagsScorched, lessdecayed snags instands withoutsmall trees

• White-headed and BlackbackedWoodpeckers exertedstrongest influence oncolonization• Cavities excavated by HairyWoodpecker were used leastrelative to their availability• Woodpecker species are notecologically equivalent inhabitat creationPhoto credit: T. Will Richardson

• Maintaining total secondarycavity community mayrequire all three woodpeckerspecies• Cavity availability may limitpopulation size of secondarycavity users• Influence of woodpeckersmay be ephemeral in burnedforest due to low snagpersistence and post fireharvest

• USDA Forest Service• Southern NevadaPublic LandsManagement Act• Department ofBiological Sciences atSacramento StateNaturepicsonline for photos

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Cavity Utilization Index spp = utilization spp * proportion usedSpeciesWhite-headedwoodpeckerBlack-backedwoodpeckerUtilization sppProportion ofcavities usedCavityUtilizationIndex2.5 94% 2.351.89 89% 1.68Hairy woodpecker 1.58 73% 1.15Secondary cavity users preferred White-headed Woodpecker cavitiesover those excavated by other species (Fisher’s Exact Test, p=0.04)

Code Bark1 Tight,intactHeartwoodDecayMinorSapwoodDecayNone toincipientLimbsMostlyPresentTopBreakageMay bepresentBoleFormIntactTimeSinceDeath1-5 years2 50% looseor missingNone toadvancedNone toincipientSmalllimbsmissingMay bepresentIntact>5 years3 75%missingIncipient toadvancedNone to25%FewremainApprox.1/3Mostlyintact>5 years4 75%missingIncipient toadvanced25%+ FewremainApprox.1/3 to ½Losingform, soft>5 years5 75%+missingAdvancedto crumbly50%+advancedAbsentApprox.½+Formmostlylost>5 years

Nest tree Nest Site TerritorySpecies Tree/snag density Forest typeDBH Canopy cover ImperviousDecay class Coarse woody debris Burn severityScorch Burn severityHeightcavity height

Secondary avian cavity usersCommon Code Scientific NameNameBrown Creeper BRCR Certhia americanaEuropean EUST Sturnus vulgarisStarlingHouse Wren HOWR Troglodytes aedonMountainChickadeeMountainBluebirdPygmyNuthatchRed-breastedNuthatchMOCHMOBLPYNURBNUPoecile gambeliSialia currucoidesSitta pygmaeaSitta canadensisWhite-breasted WBNU Sitta carolinensisNuthatchTree Swallow TRES TachycinetabicolorWestern WEBL Sialia mexicanaBluebirdAmerican AMKE Falco sparveriuskestrelFlammulated FLOW Otus flammeolusowlWestern screech WSOW Otus kennicottiiowlSpotted owl SPOW Strix occidentalisBarred owl BAOW Strix variaNorthern NPOW Glaucidium gnomapygmy owlNorthern sawwhetowlNSWO Aegolius acadicus

Secondary mammalian cavity usersCode Scientific NameDouglas TADOSquirrelFlying GLSASquirrelWestern gray SCGRsquirrelYellow-pine TAAMchipmunkLeast TAMIchipmunkLong-eared TAQUchipmunkTamiasciurusdouglasiiGlaucomyssabrinusSciurus griseusTamias amoenusTamias minimusTamiasquadrimaculatusShadow TASE Tamias senexchipmunkLodgepole TASP Tamias speciosuschipmunkBushy-tailed NECI Neotoma cinereawoodratPorcupine ERDO ErethizondorsatumPine marten MAAM MartesamericanaShort-tailed MUER Mustela ermineaweaselLong-tailedweaselMUFR Mustela frenata

Secondary cavityuser“Preferred”WoodpeckerSCU habitatassociationsN. Flying squirrel Black-backed Mature tree stands 1House wren Black-backed Edge, low canopyclosure1Northern flicker Black-backed Low stand density1Chipmunk White-headed Substantialunderstory/canopyMountain chickadee White-headed

Influence of each woodpecker species on secondary cavityusers was represented by the Cavity Utilization Index:Utilization spp = average of(#breeding species*2) +#non-breeding species+(#taxonomic classes – 1)Cavity Utilization index spp = utilization spp * proportion ofcavities with detections