Many bird species eat Pacific ponderosa pine seeds. At each morphological stage, Pacific ponderosa pine provides numerous species of birds and mammals with shelter. As seedlings they provide low ground cover for small birds and mammals. Upon reaching pole size, stands provide good windbreaks and thickets important as hiding cover for larger mammals such as elk and deer. Elk in northwestern Montana also find it unpalatable.
All values are express in micrograms per gram.
Pacific ponderosa pine is important in providing wildlife cover. Primary and secondary cavity-nesting birds such as the acorn woodpecker and mountain chickadee use both live and dead pine trees. Pacific ponderosa pine provides thermal and escape cover for mule deer and elk. Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest used the inner cambial layer as food. Extensive mortality in defoliated stands usually results from simultaneous infestations by bark beetles.