Fine-scale forest structure, not management regime, drives occupancy of a declining songbird, the Olive-sided Flycatcher, in the core of its range.

This article examines how forest management regimes and fine-scale forest structure influence the occupancy of the Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi), a declining songbird associated with tall, open forests in California's Sierra Nevada. Using passive acoustic monitoring and occupancy modeling, the study found that Olive-sided Flycatcher presence is more strongly related to fine-scale habitat features—specifically, open canopy conditions relative to tree diameter—than to whether lands are managed by the National Park Service (NPS) or the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). Although open forest conditions favored by the species were more common on NPS-managed lands, occupancy was not explained by management regime alone, and some positive association with USFS lands suggested other habitat factors at play. The findings suggest conservation strategies should prioritize creating and maintaining open-canopy forests with large trees through methods such as prescribed fire, mechanical thinning, and the restoration of Indigenous fire management practices to support this and similar species.