Effects of prescribed fire on snags and cavity-nesting birds in southeastern Arizona pine forests

A single application of moderately intense surface fire in 3 pine stands burned nearly half of all ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa snags >15 cm dbh. Snags most susceptible to burning were those with large amounts of loose, relatively undecayed woody debris at their bases. Short-term impacts of the fires on cavity-nesting birds were minimal, despite a 33% decrease in the density of snags preferred for nesting. Only northern flicker Colaptes auratus and violet-green swallow Tachycineta thalassina declined in abundance as a consequence of the fires. -from Authors