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Effects of Fire and Salvage Logging on the Cavity-Nesting Bird Community in Northwestern Montana

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Effects of Fire and Salvage Logging on the Cavity-Nesting Bird Community in Northwestern Montana University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1996 Effects of fire and salvage logging on the cavity-nesting bird community in northwestern Montana Elaine L. Caton The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Caton, Elaine L., "Effects of fire and salvage logging on the cavity-nesting bird community in northwestern Montana" (1996). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 10470. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/10470 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely afreet reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Ifigher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Infonnaüon Company 300 North Zed) Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313^761-4700 800/521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. EFFECTS OF FIRE AND SALVAGE LOGGING ON THE CAVITY-NESTING BIRD COMMUNITY IN NORTHWESTERN MONTANA by Elaine L . Caton B.A., The University of Montana, 1984 Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Montana 1996 Approved by: Chairperson Dean, Graduate School ________ Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9718524 UMI Microform 9718524 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. i Maureen and Mike MANSFIELD LIBRARY The UniversityoflVIONTANA Pemiission is granted by tlie autlior to reproduce this material in its entirety, provided tliat tliis material is used for scholarly purposes and is properly cited in published works and reports. ** ** Please check "Yes" or "No" and provide signature Yes, I grant permission No, I do not grant permission ______ Author's Signature ^ Date __________________________ Any copying for commercial purposes or financial gain may be undertaken only with tlie author's explicit consent. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Caton, Elaine L., Ph.D., December 1996 Biological Sciences Effects of fire and salvage-logging on a cavity-nesting bird community in northwestern Montana (115 pp.) Advisor: Richard L. Hutto I studied the effects of a large, stand-replacement fire on a cavity-nesting bird community in northwestern Montana for five years, starting two years post fire. I compared bird abundances in burned and unbumed mid-elevation coniferous forests, and investigated the importance of nest-site and foraging-site availability in explaining differences in abundance. Differences in abundance appeared to be due largely to differences in foraging opportunities, rather than to nest-site availability. Timber-drilling woodpeckers, aerial insectivores, and ground foragers were more abundant in post-fire habitat, whereas gleaners were less abundant. Pairs of species drawn from the same foraging guild were significantly more similar in abundance patterns than pairs drawn from different guilds, but species with similar nest sites did not show similar patterns of abundance. I recorded characteristics of sites used for foraging and nesting in the post-fire forest. Use of sites appeared to be determined by presence of foraging sites as well as nest-tree availability. Woodpeckers foraged on large larch, Douglas- fir, and lodgepole pines in stands with basal areas greater than expected based on availability. Correspondingly, nests were placed more often than expected in stands of high basal area and large-diameter trees. Nests were predominantly in large, broken-top aspen. I compared habitat and bird abundances between salvage- logged and unlogged post-fire habitat. Bird abundances and nest densities were lower in post-fire forest stands that were logged, and fewer sites in logged stands were suitable for nesting. Within logged areas, birds nested in sites most similar to nest sites in unlogged habitat. Tree-foraging cavity nesters were less abundant in clearcut stands than in partially logged stands. Variation in forest stcinds around nests rather than in characteristics of nest trees seemed to best explain this difference in abundance. Fire maintains cavity nester diversity by providing plentiful foraging and nesting sites. Management actions that address only nest tree provisions will fall short of providing for all community members. Fire-created habitats that undergo little or no post-fire logging may become réfugia for species facing rapidly dwindling sources of standing dead wood. 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My interest in and curiosity about the natural world were stimulated at an early age by the enthusiasm and interest of my parents, especially my mother. I thank all of my family for their support of and pride in my endeavors. Riley McClelland has been a source of inspiration and encouragement for many years. I am indebted to Riley and Pat McClelland for all their professional help, and for treating me as a member of the family when ny own was so far away. Rob Bennetts helped catalyze my interests in research biology, and our many thought-provoking discussions enriched my education. Many friends and colleagues at Glacier National Park helped me in countless ways during my research, with logistics, meals, friendships, housing, and by looking for me when I was late in returning from my solitary fieldwork. Although I can't name them all here, I especially thank Susan Bechtel Allen, Kathy Dimont, Mac Donofrio, Carl and Lindy Key, Richard Menicke, Gary Vodehnal, Rick Yates, and Jack Polzin and the North Fork Trailcrew. My field assistants Lynn Bacon and Rosalind Yanishevsky provided not just outstanding field work under sometimes miserable conditions, but also many useful ideas and thoughtful criticisms. Carl Key and Richard Menicke of Glacier National Park gave generously of their time and expertise to supply me with GIS maps and data. Steve Gniadek and Jim Tilmant provided helpful input and provided logistic iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. support along the way. Shari Gregory of the Flathead National Forest supplied information on the study area. I benefitted greatly from input provided by my committee members Sallie Hejl, Dick Hutto, Penny Kukuk, Riley McClelland, and David Patterson. I especially thank my advisor, Dick Hutto, for compelling me to clarify my ideas and put them into context. This project and my own education profited significantly from his enthusiastic involvement and stimulating conversations. My fellow graduate students helped me maintain my equilibrium during trying times; their friendships are much appreciated. Susan Hitchcox, Vita Wright, and Jock Young gave thoughtful criticisms and helpful suggestions through the many stages of the project. I am particularly grateful to Tim Swanberg for his enthusiastic support and complete confidence in my abilities, which made this accomplishment seem possible and worthwhile. His humor and unending patience sustained me countless times when all else failed. Funding for this research was provided by Glacier National Park and a Bertha Morton Award. IV Reproduced with permission ot the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................iii
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