Conservation of Cavity-nesting Birds in Ponderosa Pine Forests

Cavity-excavating birds play a critical role in the health and biodiversity of forest ecosystems, yet there has been no coordinated or comprehensive effort to promote and implement conservation activities necessary to support this important suite of birds. Recent funding and management actions in western forests have focused on restoring habitats and improving forest resiliency to fire through thinning and prescribed burning. However, these efforts have not included specific standards to benefit cavity-nesting birds, and in some cases, the prescriptions have actually been detrimental to those species.

American Bird Conservancy hopes to reverse this trend with its emerging program for the conservation of cavity-nesting birds in western North America. The program recently received a grant to support conservation of the Flammulated Owl, White-headed Woodpecker, and Lewis’s Woodpecker on family-owned ponderosa pine forest lands. Working with the American Forest Foundation, the Forest Restoration Partnership, state agency biologists in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, and several private landowners, ABC will conduct a variety of conservation activities on four or five selected private properties. The primary activity will be on-the-ground habitat restoration, including snag creation, thinning, and invasive species control. Additionally, ABC will host a field day at one of the sites for other interested landowners, and produce a booklet describing the experiences of landowners involved in ponderosa pine restoration to generate more interest in managing for cavity-nesting birds on private forest lands. ABC will also work with landowners to develop a monitoring protocol guide to evaluate how habitat and birds respond to restoration actions. In total, we anticipate reaching more than 5,000 landowners with over 6 million acres of forest land.

The project will support priority conservation actions within the State Wildlife Action Plans of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Funding was granted through the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Wildlife Action Opportunities Fund, with financial support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The project builds upon a previous grant from the National Forest Foundation to identify important private ponderosa pine forests, monitor Flammulated Owls, and conduct outreach with loggers, landowners, and the Bitter Root Land Trust in Montana. It also helps ABC to further establish a foundation for a full-spectrum, regional conservation program for cavity-nesting birds. This new program will continue using innovative methods to conserve habitat for cavity-nesting birds, ensuring their continued presence in ponderosa pine forests of the American West.