Conservation and relative habitat suitability for an arboreal mammal associated with old forest

Linnell, Mark A.; Davis, Raymond J.; Lesmeister, Damon B.; Swingle, James K.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2017.07.004

Cited by 25 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 61 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For instance, species with poor dispersal abilities, such as epiphytic lichens or small arboreal rodents, suffer significant declines in fragmented landscapes (Jönsson et al 2017 1 ; Santaniello et al 2017;Linnell et al 2017), while the diversity of forest specialist plants in plantation forests is positively influenced by proximity to natural woodland patches providing opportunities for colonisation (Coote et al 2013). Similarly, the amount of natural forest strongly influences the distribution of birds and bats because it provides a significant part of foraging and roosting requirements at the landscape scale (Burgar et al 2015;Lindenmayer et al 2015).…”

Section: Habitat Provisioning Across Forested Landscapesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Late successional stages have significant conservation importance due to their structural diversity and widespread rarity in the landscape (Lindenmayer 2017), whereas in regions that have experienced substantial loss of natural forest cover, older plantation forests can play an important role in supporting a range of native forest species (Berndt et al 2008;Deconchat et al 2009;Irwin et al 2014;Ruffell et al 2017). Primary forest and older stands provide important biological features such as habitats for flora and fauna associated with large or late successional tree species, a greater diversity of deadwood or more diverse stand structures (e.g., Burgar et al 2015;Lindenmayer 2017;Linnell et al 2017). However, forest ecosystems provide habitats for differing suites of species at each stage of the forest cycle.…”

Section: Habitat Provisioning Across Forested Landscapesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Forests are critical habitats for biodiversity and they are also essential for the provision of a wide range of ecosystem services that are important to human well-being. There is increasing evidence that biodiversity contributes to forest ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services. Here we provide a review of forest ecosystem services including biomass production, habitat provisioning services, pollination, seed dispersal, resistance to wind storms, fire regulation and mitigation, pest regulation of native and invading insects, carbon sequestration, and cultural ecosystem services, in relation to forest type, structure and diversity. We also consider relationships between forest biodiversity and multifunctionality, and trade-offs among ecosystem services. We compare the concepts of ecosystem processes, functions and services to clarify their definitions. Our review of published studies indicates a lack of empirical studies that establish quantitative and causal relationships between forest biodiversity and many important ecosystem services. The literature is highly skewed; studies on provisioning of nutrition and energy, and on cultural services, delivered by mixed-species forests are under-represented. Planted forests offer ample opportunity for optimising their composition and diversity because replanting after harvesting is a recurring process. Planting mixed-species forests should be given more consideration as they are likely to provide a wider range of ecosystem services within the forest and for adjacent land uses. This review also serves as the introduction to this special issue of Biodiversity and Conservation on various aspects of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services.

show abstract

Section: Habitat Provisioning Across Forested Landscapesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Habitat Provisioning Across Forested Landscapesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…To incorporate uncertainty of dispersal distance into assumptions of inter‐patch connectivity we assessed graph metrics at two distances: (1) 2 km from old‐forest patches which was the distance threshold identified in the Linnell et al . () model where HSI transitioned from suitable to unsuitable, and (2) 7 km which represents a maximum expansion scenario.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dispersal data are scarce, and of nine subadult tree voles radio‐tracked, six dispersed (mean = 56 m, max = 75 m, n = 6; Swingle, ). These distances are much shorter than the estimated mean distance from old‐forest patches (3.4 km) in the northern Oregon Coast Range (Linnell et al ., ). Inter‐patch connectivity, therefore, is likely to depend on the capacity of tree voles to occasionally colonize and reproduce in young forest matrix (Swingle, ; Linnell et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Landscape connectivity and conservation prioritization for an old forest species with limited vagility

Linnell

Lesmeister

2019

Animal Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Old forests are often patchily distributed in contemporary forested landscapes leading to conservation concerns for species dependent on these forest types. In the absence of broad‐scale recovery of old forests, conservation initiatives have emphasized connecting forested landscapes to facilitate movement of genes or individuals. We assessed forest connectivity for a low‐vagile arboreal rodent (red tree vole; Arborimus longicaudus), an obligate of old forests within a distinct population segment that is a candidate for listing under the US Endangered Species Act in the northern Oregon Coast Range (USA). Within the distinct population segment, old forests (>80 years old) have contracted by >80% in the previous century, comprise 10.9% of the contemporary landscape and reside in a matrix of young forests (20–80 years old). We combined complimentary graph and circuit theory metrics into spatial conservation prioritization to provide insights into the composition and function of the contemporary forested landscape and to identify potential conservation and research priorities for this area. Given average distances from patches of old forests (3.4 km), we predicted that connectivity can only be achieved if red tree voles move and settle iteratively through young forest matrix, which is suboptimal habitat. We found that the top 1% conservation priorities were a series of small, spatially central patches and several large patches located where old forest cover was most extensive. Most of these patches were in protected reserves. Up to 30% of the top 10% prioritization were forests outside of reserves, highlighting the potential for these forests to contribute to landscape connectivity for this low‐vagile species that is dependent on old forest.

show abstract

“…Light detection and ranging (lidar) technology gives biologists the ability to accurately measure forest canopy structure at very fine spatial resolutions (sub‐meter) by using laser pulses to produce 3‐dimensional geographical information system (GIS) data of the ground surface and the vegetation or structures covering it (Evans et al ). These data have already been used to accurately classify conifer forests into successional stages (Falkowski et al , Kane et al ) and to analyze forest structure and wildlife‐habitat relationships (Vierling et al , Vogeler et al , Hagar et al , Johnston and Moskal , Linnell et al ). For California spotted owls ( S. o. occidentalis ), García‐Feced et al () used lidar data to quantify residual trees in nesting areas and North et al () used lidar data to predict California spotted owl habitat based on cover of tall trees.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Activity center selection by northern spotted owls

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The federally threatened northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) has been intensively studied across its range, and habitat needs for the species have influenced forest management in northwestern North America for decades. Dense forest canopies are often reported in the scientific literature and agency management plans as an important habitat attribute for spotted owls, though the means of measuring forest canopy and interpreting species requirements vary across studies and more importantly, among management plans. We used light detection and ranging (lidar) measurements of canopy cover, canopy surface heterogeneity, and upper canopy surface connectivity, and an index of the presence of a competitive invasive species, the barred owl (S. varia), in multinomial discrete choice models using a Bayesian framework to evaluate selection of forest cover types by spotted owls in Oregon, USA, 2008–2015. We designated yearly activity centers based on the most biologically significant observation during the nesting season (Mar–Aug), generally centered on the nest tree. Spotted owls selected activity centers with more canopy cover and higher heterogeneity of the canopy surface within 100 m than was available within their territories. The average proportion of canopy cover within 100 m of a spotted owl activity center was 0.79 ± 0.12 (SD; range = 0.34–0.99). The presence of barred owls did not explain variability in selection of spotted owl activity centers, but barred owls might not affect third‐order habitat selection within territories, or our index was too spatially coarse to detect these effects on spotted owl resource selection. We demonstrate that lidar provides researchers and managers with a tool that can accurately measure forest canopies over large areas, and assist in mapping spotted owl habitat. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

show abstract

Conservation and relative habitat suitability for an arboreal mammal associated with old forest

Cited by 25 publications

References 61 publications

Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services

Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services

Landscape connectivity and conservation prioritization for an old forest species with limited vagility

Activity center selection by northern spotted owls

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About