Think about where all those birds build nests in a severely burned forest. They use burned out root holes, standing dead trees with woodpecker cavities, broken branches, root wads in uprooted trees, all of which are nesting opportunities created by severe fire. Burned conifer forests and cottonwood bottomlands share some of the dead-tree conditions needed by several bird species, and they share those bird species as well. Suitable conditions for some species require several years after fire to emerge as nesting and feeding opportunities, so the benefits of severe fire cannot always be ascertained by conducting quick before-after studies. The number of plant and animal species that thrive after, or even depend on, severely burned conifer forests is astounding.