Dear HCN,
William deBuys makes some
good points concerning various groups coming to loggerheads in New
Mexico, but it should be pointed out that when the Forest Service
shut down all tree-cutting in the Southwest it was never
appropriate biologically (HCN, 2/5/96). The angry firewood cutters
needed piûon-juniper, but this is not an area frequented by
Mexican spotted owls, the birds blamed for the
ban.
The owls don’t generally need
piûon-juniper, although exceptions may occur as in the case of
canyons surrounded by these trees. But it’s not the
norm.
So far, the literature shows that snags are
not primarily used by these birds for nesting. They often make use
of diseased live trees for nesting and roosting. Research has also
found the birds prefer a multi-storied – meaning large and small
trees – closed canopy of pine-oak with a good deal of large woody
debris on the forest
floor.
Lynn
Sainsbury
Bonner,
Montana
The writer has worked
as a biologist in the Southwest.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Don’t blame the birds.
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