Black-backed Woodpecker
(Picoides arcticus)
Black-backed Woodpecker
The state range of
the black-backed
woodpecker is primarily
confi ned to northwest
Montana. Potential
breeding records also
exist. That would expand their range to
most counties in western Montana. The
habitat for black-backed woodpeckers is
early successional, burned forest of mixed
conifer, lodgepole pine, Douglas fi r, and
spruce-fi r. Conservation concerns include:
increased timber harvest;
fi re suppression; and
removal of fi re-killed
or insect-infested trees.
Conservation strategies
include: working with
forest management agencies and companies
to promote conservation practices;
decreasing fi re suppression to allow natural
occurrences in isolated areas; and managing
“salvage” logging techniques which remove
dying and recently killed trees.
