First Record of the Northern Spotted Owl Nesting in Forest Burned at the Highest Level of Severity

An instance of the Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) nesting successfully in severely burned forest indicates that under some circumstances, such habitat may indeed provide the species suitable habitat. Current forest-management approaches treat wildfire as the primary cause of habitat loss for both the Northern and California (S. o. occidentalis) Spotted Owls. Assumptions that severely burned forest does not provide any viable nesting or roosting habitat for these Spotted Owl subspecies has resulted in substantial post-fire logging and removal of burned trees throughout both owls’ ranges. In addition, forest management intended to prevent severe fires may entail thinning of unburned Spotted Owl habitat to reduce tree density and potential fuel loads. In the Mendocino National Forest of western Glenn County, California, I followed a pair of Northern Spotted Owls nesting and roosting deep within a large patch of severely burned forest two years after a fire, in a stand with no post-fire salvage logging, pre-fire thinning, fuels reduction, or attempts at restoration. A pair of Spotted Owls had used this location consistently since 1990, and the territory remained occupied with owls roosting and nesting successfully in 2022, despite 73% of the territory burning at high severity in 2020.