Postfire Avian Ecology in Yellowstone National Park

Abstract

One objective of establishing Yellowstone National Park was to minimize human influence on the biotic communities. However, from the time of establishment (1872) through 1972, the policy has been to suppress forest fires. Since natural fires play an important role in many environments, their importance to the Yellowstone ecosystem is being assessed. Little knowledge exists on avian succession immediately following a forest fire and several years postfire. The Divide fire burn on the western side of the South Arm of Yellowstone Lake and the Trail Creek burn southeast of the Southeast Arm of Yellowstone provided an opportunity to supplement the knowledge of Yellowstone's fire ecology. Therefore, data gathered during the 1979 summer will be used to strengthen the 1978 summer data in the determination of avian ecology in these postfire areas.