Normally a bird of the boreal forest, these woodpeckers have been known to move quickly into forests that have been affected by wildfires.

Wildfires have touched areas north and south of Ottawa. Back in 2012 a fire broke out in the Lime Kiln area in Ottawa. A couple of black-backed woodpeckers were seen in the area later on. The wildfires of recent years have been on a much larger scale than a contained fire at the Lime Kiln area.