Coniferous Forests

The Western Forest Initiative currently being explored seeks to halt and reverse the declines of Western forest birds by informing active forest management that aligns multiple benefits for our most imperiled birds and the people of the West.

Black-backed Woodpecker: A research brief for managers summarizes Black-Backed Woodpecker presence in green unburned forests on the Fremont-Winema National Forest in southwest Oregon. Individuals or pairs were present on 86% of unburned forest transects, which was much higher than expected based on previous studies.

Commercial forestlands in the Pacific Northwest can provide important early‐ and mid‐seral forest conditions for some of the region’s at‐risk bird species. Here we offer a suite of decision support tools that present specific conservation actions that can be implemented as part of forest management operations. Such actions can enhance important bird habitat attributes.

This Decision Support Tool shows that management for certain habitat attributes that are informed by bird conservation plans and results from related research and monitoring efforts can benefit Partners in Flight focal species and many other species and elements of biodiversity in these forests.