Abstract 213 – The Efficacy of Locating and Monitoring Arboreal Black Bear Dens with a Hand-Held Thermography Camera

Craig Perham and Craig Townsend

Protocols for detecting and verifying arboreal black bear (Ursus americanus) dens using a hand-
held, infrared (HH IR), thermography camera system were developed to understand black bear
use of riparian habitat in an urban park in southcentral Alaska. We categorized descriptive
characteristics of black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) trees to consider when identifying
individual trees that could be used as arboreal bear dens. These included tree diameter,
functional height, bear activity, and trunk shape (i.e., tapered).
We also documented thermal camera variables when using a HH IR camera system to identify
active, arboreal black bear dens, such as appropriate environmental conditions, survey timing,
and camera system limitations and advantages. Hand-held infrared camera systems can be
used for initial den detection surveys as well as assessing current occupancy of historical den
trees. HH IR camera systems can also be used to monitor occupied dens to help minimize
potential human-bear interactions.