FIRE-BIRD: Habitat suitability model application tools for disturbance-associated woodpeckers

FIRE-BIRD is an ArcGIS spatial tool for applying habitat suitability models to generate maps that inform forest management planning. This tool focuses on disturbance-associated woodpecker species of conservation concern.

Overview and Applicability

The habitat suitability models implemented in FIRE-BIRD, and their respective output, can inform forest management for sensitive disturbance-associated woodpecker species. The output of the FIRE-BIRD tool identifies areas most likely to support these species. The output can be used to identify areas of high suitability which can be targeted for conservation, such as design criteria for post-fire salvage logging, and to identify areas of marginal suitability where habitat improvements could be conducted, such as dry forest restoration activities.

Tools are currently developed for black-backed (Picoides arcticus), Lewis’s (Melanerpes lewis), and white-headed woodpecker (Dryobates albolarvatus) in Inland Northwest burned forests; black-backed, white-headed, and hairy woodpecker (D. villosus) in Northern Sierra burned forests; and white-headed woodpecker in Inland Northwest unburned forests. The suite of species currently included makes this toolset best suited for postfire management and restoration treatments in dry mixed-conifer forests.

Additional species and forest conditions will continue to be added, broadening the scope of this toolset.

The General Technical Report (GTR) referenced/linked on this page describes the ecological basis for each tool and provides operational instructions and guidelines for applying habitat maps to inform planning.

A video tutorial provides a walkthrough for application of habitat suitability models.

Feedback/Support (email): SM.FS.firebird@usda.gov

Inputs

Input variables are tool-specific and are documented within the FIRE-BIRD GTR-391 and the Lewis's Woodpecker Addendum: FIRE-BIRD: A GIS-based toolset for applying habitat suitability models to inform land management planning.

Outputs

30-m resolution raster layers mapping the relative likelihood for species occurrence, for example: habitat suitability indices (HSIs) with values ranging from 0 (low suitability) to 1 (high suitability).

Requirements

ArcGIS Pro (ESRI, v3.0 or newer) via stand-alone program OR via USDA Forest Service Citrix Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) AND access to the FIRE-BIRD v3.0 Toolbox on USFS internal network T-Drive (T:\FS\RD\RMRS\Science\WTE\Research\HSI_applic_tool\TOOLBOX - ArcGISPro3x). FIRE-BIRD is also still available for ArcGIS ArcMap (ESRI, v10.x) on the USFS internal network T-Drive (T:\FS\RD\RMRS\Science\WTE\Research\HSI_applic_tool\TOOLBOX - ArcMap10x).

OR

ArcGIS Pro (ESRI, v3.0 or newer) OR ArcGIS ArcMap (ESRI, v10.x) via stand-alone program AND a downloaded copy of the FIRE-BIRD v3.0 Toolbox (currently available upon request from the development/support team).

Tutorial

FIRE-BIRD Video Tutorial

Release Notes

We recommend using the latest release of FIRE-BIRD, which is hosted on the T-Drive. Prior versions are archived, but not available.

FIRE-BIRD v3.0 includes updates to run the tool using ArcGIS Pro 3x (January 16, 2024). [latest release]

FIRE-BIRD v2.1 includes updated Lewis's Woodpecker Burned model covariates and coefficients, and the addition of the Lewis's Woodpecker Burned (RAVG) model tool (March 20, 2021).

FIRE-BIRD v2.0 included the addition of the LEWO MTBS tools (March 23, 2020).

FIRE-BIRD v1.0 was the original toolset made available.

Restrictions and Limitations

FIRE-BIRD is open source and provided without charge. If you use FIRE-BIRD in your research, please cite the general technical report FIRE-BIRD: A GIS-based toolset for applying habitat suitability models to inform land management planning and/or addendum for Lewis’s woodpecker nesting habitat suitability: Predictive models for application within burned forests using the following citation(s).

Citation

Latif, Quresh S.; Saab, Victoria A.; Haas, Jessica R.; Dudley, Jonathan G. 2019. FIRE-BIRD: A GIS-based toolset for applying habitat suitability models to inform land management planning. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-391. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 74 p.

Cross, Todd B.; Latif, Quresh S.; Dudley, Jonathan G.; Saab, Victoria A. 2021. Lewis’s woodpecker nesting habitat suitability: Predictive models for application within burned forests. Biological Conservation. 253: 108811.

Related Tool

Campos, Brent R., Steel, Zachary. FIRE-BAT User Manual.