Interlude II

Abstract

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The variety of bird nest sites within a place that has nothing but blackened, standing-dead trees contributes to the special nature of a recently burned forest. There are numerous bird species that nest in cavities dug by woodpeckers, in trees that break apart, and in the burned-out root holes in the ground. That means the standing dead trees are essential to maintaining an intact forest ecosystem. The new architectural elements (standing dead trees, holes in the ground, tree stumps) created by severe fire in a mixed-conifer forest influences which species can make use of a recently burned forest environment. Following severe fire, the standing dead ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine trees provide more than nest sites; burned cones atop the trees are important sources of seed dispersal by wind and birds like the Clark’s Nutcracker.