A Conservation Strategy for theBlack-backed Woodpecker (Picoidesarcticus) in California – Version 1.0 (Bond et al., 2012)

Full Citation: Bond, M. L., R. B. Siegel and, D. L. Craig, editors. 2012. A Conservation Strategy for the Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) in California. Version 1.0. The Institute for Bird Populations and California Partners in Flight. Point Reyes Station, California.

Abstract: The Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) inhabits boreal and montane forests of northern North America, where it is strongly associated with burned forests. In California, the species is found at middle to higher elevations in inland mountains from the Oregon border to the southern Sierra Nevada, the southernmost extent of the species’ range. The woodpecker occurs infrequently in most unburned forest types and is also found in beetle-killed forests, but reaches its greatest abundance in recently (1-8 year-old) burned forests with fire-killed trees, and is widely considered the North American bird species most strongly associated with burned forest. The Black-backed Woodpecker feeds primarily on wood-boring beetle larvae which become abundant after adult beetles lay their eggs on dying or recently dead trees. As the abundance of beetle larvae declines with time since fire occurrence, so too does the abundance of the Black-backed Woodpecker in the post-fire stand.

In California, the Black-backed Woodpecker’s strong association with recently burned forest, a habitat that is ephemeral, spatially restricted, and often greatly modified by post-fire logging, as well as the species’ relative rarity, may make the woodpecker vulnerable to declines in the state. Additionally, Black-backed Woodpeckers in California are affected by the management of unburned forests – both because pre-fire stand conditions affect the suitability of post-fire habitat for the species, and because a substantial proportion of California’s Black-backed Woodpeckers nest and forage at a low population density in unburned forests. Conserving the Black-backed Woodpecker in California likely requires appropriate management and stewardship of the habitat where this species reaches its highest density – recently burned forest – as well as appropriate management of ‘green’ forests that have not burned recently. In both cases, existing science can provide decision-making support while research in California ecosystems is underway.

Interest in the conservation status of the Black-backed Woodpecker in California, the species’ sensitivity to some post-fire forest management actions, and the lack of synthesized information from California for this species, spurred the development of this Conservation Strategy. The purpose of this Conservation Strategy is to provide a roadmap for conserving Black-backed Woodpeckers in California through informed management. It is our hope that state and federal agencies, as well as managers of private lands, will use the information and recommendations provided here to formulate policies and actions that will conserve Black-backed Woodpeckers. In this Conservation Strategy we try to facilitate Black-backed Woodpecker conservation by: (1) summarizing what is known about the taxonomy, distribution, population status, life history and ecology, and habitat requirements of the species in California and identifying potential threats; (2) recommending management approaches and specific actions to conserve the species in California; and (3) suggesting priorities for future research to help refine the recommended management actions. We identify overarching goals and recommend specific actions for achieving those goals in three broad areas: Habitat Management (4 goals, 16 recommended actions), Research and Monitoring (4 goals, 19 recommended actions), and Education and Outreach (1 goal, 5 recommended actions).