Welcome to Point Blue's Sierra Nevada Avian Monitoring in Forest Fuels Treatments Project online data exploration tool. This website, hosted by the California Avian Data Center (CADC) at Point Blue Conservation Science, will give users quick and easy access to data generated by multiple avian monitoring projects in the Northern Sierra Nevada.

In the Northern Sierra (Lassen and Plumas National Forests) we have conducted surveys since 2002 in areas targeted for fuels treatments. Management activities take place on a Sierra Nevada landscape that has seen significant fire suppression which has driven the buildup of fuel loads. Mechanical silvicultural activities have the potential to alleviate some of the fire risk, but the effects on wildlife in the Sierra Nevada are largely unknown. Our survey points were located in untreated stands as well as treated stands prior to fuels-reduction treatments. Bird surveys were continued post-treatment in order to detect the response to changes in vegetation structure and composition. Treatments include Defensible Fuel Profile Zones (DFPZ, which entails manual removal of understory vegetation and dead plant matter, typically near roads), group-selection timber harvesting, mastication of shrubs, and prescribed burning.

Data from the most recent field season are incorporated into this site within several months of it being collected. The analyses and output that are available include: locations viewable on a map or in raw formats, effort and sample summaries, density estimates, species richness, and occupancy. These analyses can be generated at targeted study areas of interest from the Plumas and Lassen National Forests. To get started, please select either the Explore Project Results or View Study Locations tabs above and follow the step-by-step instructions.