Through the smoke: spotted owls, wildfire, and forest restoration

Abstract

Wildfires in the western United States are expected to increase both in size and severity in coming decades. These trends are likely to accelerate large-scale habitat loss and fragmentation for the spotted owl in the Pacific Northwest, California, and the Southwest. All three subspecies that occupy these regions have declined over the last century, and the Mexican and northern subspecies are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in the United States. Predicted changes in the extent and severity of wildfire are driven by a combination of climate change and cumulative effects on forest composition and structure that stem from a history of land uses including fire suppression and timber harvest. High fuel loads and connected canopies make the matrix among patches of old-growth forest. Owls prefer these old-growth forests for nesting, which are prone to stand replacing megafires.

Citation

Kantor, Sylvia; Cushman, Sam; Ganey, Joe; Jones, Gavin; Wan, Ho Yi; Malcolm, Karl; Hedwall, Shaula. 2020. Through the smoke: spotted owls, wildfire, and forest restoration. Science You Can Use Bulletin, Issue 46. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 9 p.