Observations of bird numbers and species following a historic wildfire in Arizona ponderosa pine forests

Peter F. Ffolliott; Cody L. Stropki; Hui Chen; Dan G. Neary

Treesearch

Observations of bird numbers and species following a historic wildfire in Arizona ponderosa pine forests

Formally Refereed

Authors:

Peter F. Ffolliott, Cody L. Stropki, Hui Chen, Dan G. Neary

Year:

2009

Type:

Miscellaneous Publication

Station:

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Source:

Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science. 41(1): 16-23.

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Abstract

The Rodeo-Chediski Wildfire, the largest in Arizona's history, damaged or destroyed ecosystem resources or disrupted ecosystem functioning in a mostly mosaic pattern throughout the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests exposed to the burn. Impacts of the wildfire on the occurrence of birds and their diversities were studied on two watersheds in the area, one burned by a high severity (stand-replacing) fire, while the other was burned by a low severity (stand-modifying) fire. This paper reports on the results of a five-year (2002-2007) evaluation of this wildfire on the bird species and numbers observed on these two watersheds to provide a record of the impacts of the historic fire on avifauna communities.

Keywords

bird numbers, avifauna communities, ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa, The Rodeo-Chediski Wildfire, Arizona

Citation

Ffolliott, Peter F.; Stropki, Cody L.; Chen, Hui; Neary, Daniel G. 2009. Observations of bird numbers and species following a historic wildfire in Arizona ponderosa pine forests. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science. 41(1): 16-23.