Adult and juvenile spotted owls on tree limb. Credit: Oregon State University Restoring dry forests in the Pacific Northwest, shaped by frequent low-intensity fire and widely spaced trees, often means thinning dense stands that accumulated after decades of fire suppression. This can make forests healthier and more resilient to wildfire, but it can raise concerns about protecting wildlife that depend on dense tree cover, including the northern spotted owl. A new study by researchers at Oregon State University and the U.S. Forest Service and just published in Forest Ecology and Management , suggests that restoration of landscapes that historically burned frequently through planned, controlled fire does not have to conflict with spotted owl conservation. The study, led by Jeremy Rockweit, a postdoctoral student at Oregon State, identified forest areas used by the northern spotted owl for nesting and roosting that were more and less likely to persist through fire.…