Changes in breeding bird abundance and species composition over a 20 year chronosequence following shelterwood harvests in oak-hardwood forests

Duguid, Marlyse C.; Morrell, E. Hale; Goodale, Eben; Ashton, Mark S.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2016.06.010

Cited by 23 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Our results show that regenerating vegetation variables—particularly percent canopy cover—capture aspects of stand development that bear specific relationships with nesting and foraging functional guilds. Consistent with other studies, our results demonstrate that while some birds decline with forest succession, others increase (Begehold, Rzanny, & Flade, ; Duguid et al, ). Separately, we note that high shrub‐nesting bird abundance and the presence of forest ground‐nesting birds during early and late initiation stages of stand development support literature that asserts that newly open areas create habitat for both juvenile early‐successional‐associated and forest‐associated species (Chandler, King, & Chandler, ; Schlossberg, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Species accumulation curves were highest for EI, and then LI, ESE, and lastly UM stands (Figure ). Overall abundance, species richness, and Shannon diversity decreased significantly between early initiation and unmanaged stands (Figure a), as it did in the data collected in 2014 (Duguid et al, ).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 66%

“…Successional dynamics in Yale‐Myers Forest, which are consistent with observed change in other temperate mixed forests, have been documented in detail (Ashton & Kelty, ; Brunet et al, ; Donoso & Nyland, ; Duguid et al, ; Fredericksen et al, ; Oliver & Larson, ). Based on this research, and using the framework of the Oliver and Larson () model of stand dynamics, we classified the stands included in our study by developmental phase.…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 71%

“…Multiple studies have examined the responses of bird functional guilds to harvest and time since harvest (Duguid et al, ; Newell & Rodewald, ; Preston & Harestad, ; Tozer, Burke, Nol, & Elliott, ). Previous studies of the effects of variable retention harvests have suggested that the successional trajectory of the forest drives bird community composition and that bird species richness and abundance decline in stem exclusion (Duguid et al, ; Grodsky, Moorman, Fritts, Castleberry, & Wigley, ; Winkler, ). As reported in other studies, our results show that bird abundance within the shrub‐nesting functional guild decreases swiftly as the stand regenerates postharvest.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Yet, forests fundamentally change with succession after disturbance, as described by the widely accepted stand dynamics model of forest succession (Oliver & Larson, ). Since postharvest changes in bird community composition with time have been attributed to regenerating vegetation but not statistically correlated, there remains a clear need to directly demonstrate relationships between changing forest structure and bird communities (Donner, Ribic, & Probst, ; Duguid et al, ; Thompson & DeGraaf, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Legacy forest structure increases bird diversity and abundance in aging young forests

Hanle

Duguid

Ashton

2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Many studies have demonstrated the importance of early‐successional forest habitat for breeding bird abundance, composition, and diversity. However, very few studies directly link measures of bird diversity, composition and abundance to measures of forest composition, and structure and their dynamic change over early succession. This study examines the relationships between breeding bird community composition and forest structure in regenerating broadleaf forests of southern New England, USA, separating the influences of ecological succession from retained stand structure. We conducted bird point counts and vegetation surveys across a chronosequence of forest stands that originated between 2 and 24 years previously in shelterwood timber harvests, a silvicultural method of regenerating oak‐mixed broadleaf forests. We distinguish between vegetation variables that relate to condition of forest regeneration and those that reflect legacy stand structure. Using principal components analyses, we confirmed the distinction between regeneration and legacy vegetation variables. We ran regression analysis to test for relationships between bird community variables, including nesting and foraging functional guild abundances, and vegetation variables. We confirmed these relationships with hierarchical partitioning. Our results demonstrate that regenerating and legacy vegetation correlate with bird community variables across stand phases and that the strength with which they drive bird community composition changes with forest succession. While measures of regeneration condition explain bird abundance and diversity variables during late initiation, legacy stand structure explains them during stem exclusion. Canopy cover, ground‐story diversity, and canopy structure diversity are the most powerful and consistent explanatory variables. Our results suggest that leaving varied legacy stand structure to promote habitat heterogeneity in shelterwood harvests contributes to greater bird community diversity. Interestingly, this is particularly important during the structurally depauperate phase of stem exclusion of young regenerating forests.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 66%

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 71%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Legacy forest structure increases bird diversity and abundance in aging young forests

Hanle

Duguid

Ashton

2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Human land‐use effects on mammalian mesopredator occupancy of a northeastern Connecticut landscape

Zamuda

Duguid

Schmitz

2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Mammalian mesopredators—mid‐sized carnivores—are ecologically, economically, and socially important. With their adaptability to a variety of habitats and diets, loss of apex predators, and forest regrowth, many of these species are increasing in number throughout the northeastern United States. However, currently the region is seeing extensive landscape alterations, with an increase in residential and industrial development, especially at the expense of existing forest and small‐scale farmland. We sought to understand how important an existing mosaic of working lands (timberland and farmland) in a forested landscape is to mesopredator species. We did this by studying mesopredator occupancy across three land uses (or habitat types): forest reserve (protected), timber harvest (shelterwood cuts), and field (both crop yielding and fallow) in and around a 3200‐ha forest in northeastern Connecticut. We examined coyote ( Canis latrans ), bobcat ( Lynx rufus ), fisher ( Pekania pennanti ), and raccoon ( Procyon lotor ) occupancy using paired camera traps across juxtaposed reserve, shelterwood, and field units from April 2018 to March 2019. We created a priori habitat variable models for each species and season, as well as analyzed the impact of habitat types on each species. Throughout the year bobcats were positively associated with foliage height diversity and had the highest use in shelterwoods and lowest use in fields. Land use utilization varied seasonally for coyotes and raccoons, with higher use of fields than reserves and shelterwoods for half the year and no difference between land uses and the other half. Both species were not strongly associated with any particular habitat variables. Reserve forest was moderate to highly used by all species for at least half the year, and highly use year‐round by fishers. Our findings reveal that a mosaic of intact forest and working lands, timber harvest, and agriculture can support mesopredator diversity.

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The Role of Fire in the Dynamics of Piedmont Vegetation

Spooner

Peet

Schafale

et al. 2021

Fire Ecology and Management: Past, Present, and Future of US Forested Ecosystems

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Changes in breeding bird abundance and species composition over a 20 year chronosequence following shelterwood harvests in oak-hardwood forests

Cited by 23 publications

References 33 publications

Legacy forest structure increases bird diversity and abundance in aging young forests

Legacy forest structure increases bird diversity and abundance in aging young forests

Human land‐use effects on mammalian mesopredator occupancy of a northeastern Connecticut landscape

The Role of Fire in the Dynamics of Piedmont Vegetation

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