Graduation Date
Spring 2023
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Science degree with a major in Natural Resources, option Wildlife
Committee Chair Name
Ho Yi Wan
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Frank Fogarty
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Erin Kelly
Third Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Subject Categories
Wildlife
Abstract
Large and severe wildfires, exacerbated by climate change and human behavior, are occurring more frequently in many forests across the western United States. While wildfire is a natural part of most terrestrial ecosystems, rapidly changing fire regimes have the potential to alter habitat beyond the adaptive capabilities of species. Spatial assessments of wildfire risks to species habitat may allow managers to pinpoint locations for management activities. To illustrate this, I spatially assessed wildfire risk within habitat that supports the nesting activity of the federally threatened northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) in the California redwood coast ecoregion. To accomplish this, I built a scale-optimized ensemble nesting habitat suitability model and identified habitat with the highest wildfire hazard potential. Percent canopy cover at 100-m scale, slope at 400-m scale, and January precipitation at 800-m scale were the most influential environmental covariates for predicting northern spotted owl nesting habitat. Nearly 60% of nesting habitat was predicted to be at high or very high (>1,986 index value) wildfire risks. I identified three areas in the Maple Creek area of Humboldt County, Jackson State Demonstration Forest in Mendocino County, and Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, California with a high concentration of nesting habitat that are at a very high risk of experiencing high severity wildfires. I recommend these areas be targeted for management attention and future research to understand the impact of wildfire on northern spotted owl.
Citation Style
Journal of Wildlife Management
Recommended Citation
Hysen, Logan Baker, "Using multiscale ensemble habitat models to identify wildfire risk to habitat for an iconic forest species" (2023). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 658.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/658