The response of avian foraging guilds and plant communities to prescribed fire in the ponderosa pine forests of the U.S. Southwest

Many bird populations in the southwestern U.S. have declined due to decades of fire suppression and the resulting alteration of habitat. In response, land managers have implemented prescribed fire treatments to mimic the historic landscape, however, the impacts of prescribed fire on bird communities and the mechanisms behind these responses remain unclear. This study examines the effects of prescribed fire on bird communities in the southwestern ponderosa pine forests to determine the numerical and functional responses of bird communities to prescribed fire, and to investigate how changes in forest structure following fire treatments impact bird communities. Avian and vegetation communities were sampled during the breeding season from 2002-2006 and foraging bird observations were conducted during June-July 2006. The results of this research offer insight into the responses of birds to prescribed fire and provide land managers valuable information for improving forest management practices