Working forests encompass extensive areas on public and private lands in Oregon and Washington. In addition to producing wood products, these forests support diverse bird communities. State forest practices rules governing forest harvest dictate retention of a minimum number of trees when forests are clearcut harvested. However, little research has explored how the location and composition of those retention trees affects their use by wildlife. Additionally, standing dead snags are often limited within intensively managed forests, despite their importance as habitat features for many wildlife species. Within an existing large-scale experimental design dictating size and location of retention tree patches relative to other forest structures, I used an avian point count sampling approach to inform hierarchical community models exploring how patch size, spatial configuration, and vegetative community composition influence the bird communities in managed forests. Additionally, I evaluated avian use of mechanically created snags, with a focus on cavity nesting bird species. These findings will provide guidance to forestry professionals, land managers, and regulating agencies about best practices for using structural retention to support bird communities within working forests.