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Wildlife and Terrestrial Ecosystems

National Genomics Center image

National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation

The National Genomics Center is a state-of-the art facility for advanced research providing expertise in DNA sequencing and environmental and forensic DNA sampling.
An adult and juvenile spotted owl looking out from a hole in a dead, charred tree.

Is severe fire good or bad for spotted owls?

Whether severe fire is good or bad for spotted owls will influence how some forests are managed for fire risk. In reality, the effects of severe fire on spotted owls depends on the size of severely-burned patches, as well as their configuration and complexity.
A closeup of the side of a tree with a white-headed woodpecker's head sticking out.

Habitat suitability models for white-headed woodpecker in recently burned forest

Salvage logging in burned forests can negatively affect habitat for white-headed woodpeckers (Dryobates albolarvatus), a species of conservation concern. To quantify and map suitable woodpecker habitat after wildfires, we developed habitat suitability index (HSI) models to inform forest management activities.
A lynx wearing a radio collar walking in snow.

Canada lynx navigate spruce beetle-impacted forests

Canada lynx depend on boreal and subalpine forests that have been structured by natural disturbances for millennia. The management conundrum is how to salvage beetle-killed trees, while also conserving this iconic species. We instrumented Canada lynx with GPS collars to learn how they used beetle-impacted forests. Our research informed how to balance timber salvage with species conservation.

The Wildlife and Terrestrial Ecosystems program is engaged in sustaining species and ecosystems of concern through integrated and multidisciplinary research. The program investigates ecological interactions within and between aquatic and terrestrial plant and animal communities, social and economic values associated with consumptive and non-consumptive uses of fish and wildlife, management of terrestrial and aquatic habitats, and outcomes of land and water uses and natural disturbances on wildlife populations and habitats.