Modeling wildlife habitat suitability under potential future climate regimes, with incorporation of potential management strategies to restore and sustain critical habitat

We are using the FireBGCv2 modeling platform to evaluate shifts in wildlife habitat suitability resulting from climate changes and shifting disturbance regimes. Landscape- and species-specific habitat suitability indices reflect potential occupancy based on dominant vegetation species and structural composition. These landscape attributes vary with changes in climate and following disturbance events such as wildfires or mountain pine beetle epidemics. Wildlife habitat suitability models can be used to 1) assess the potential of current landscapes to support specific wildlife species; 2) evaluate the effects of projected changes in climate and disturbance on landscape vegetation/habitat suitability; and 3) test suites of management strategies for restoring or maintaining critical habitat under future climate regimes.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS (Staff)

Rachel A. Loehman, Research Ecologist; Robert E. Keane, Research Ecologist;

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS

Victoria A. Saab, USDA Forest Service RMRS, Wildlife Program

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

We have developed wildlife habitat suitability index (HSI) models for grizzly bears and Canada lynx in Glacier National Park, and are incorporating avian HSI models for species in Montana and Oregon. For more information on avian research visit the Birds and Burns Network.

Additional Information

Beetles, Birds, & Fire in Western Forests
Habitat suitability for Nesting White-headed Woodpeckers in the Pacific Northwest: Past, Present, and Future
Climate and fire-driven shifts in grizzly bear habitat suitability