Investigating the Effect of Forestry Management Practices on Bat Habitat Selection in a Fire Prone Ecosystem

Abstract

Bats in temperate North America (NA) are suffering from declining populations related to the reduction of roosting and foraging habitat, wind energy development, climate change, and the introduction of disease. Although some information is known about the ecology and behavior of bat species in eastern NA, much less is known about the general ecology and habitat needs of bats in the West. To help fill this gap and understand how bats are using western forests, we are researching bat habitat selection in southeastern Montana, with the goal of understanding how bats respond to forestry management practices utilized by the Bureau of Land Management to minimize stand-replacing wildfires. Bats captured on the landscape were tagged with VHF radio tags and tracked to roosts using both drone-based and ground telemetry methods. With the use of drone telemetry, we tracked bats for thirteen days to 14 unique roosts (rock and snags were used). These data were then compared to forestry treatment methods (control, burn, mastication, and thinning) to understand patterns and trends in bat use. Here we present preliminary results from the 2025 field season, detailing successes and challenges in studying cryptic animals in a vast landscape.