Framework for assessing land‐management effects on at‐risk species: Example ofSE USAwood pellet production and gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus)

Abstract

Land-management choices made for economic and societal gains intrinsically influence landscapes and species that are dependent upon them. We propose a simple analysis framework to examine critical intersections between landmanagement choices and the life-history conditions of selected species of concern, thereby facilitating the identification of mitigation practices that can reduce negative impacts on species at risk. We test the proposed framework through application to gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), a keystone species that is the focus of conservation efforts across the southeastern region of United States of America, where wood pellets are being produced for bioenergy. Production of these wood pellets for export to Europe and Asia has drastically increased in the past decade, raising concerns about potential harm to biodiversity since many species in the forests sourcing pellet production were already at risk prior to the development of this new commodity. Identifying the mechanisms of potential impacts of wood pellet production on species of concern is essential to establishing meaningful management recommendations that can enhance conservation efforts while supporting sustainable bioenergy. By considering the intersections between life-history conditions of gopher tortoise and forest-management practices related to woody biomass extraction for pellet production, we identify several mechanisms by which the wood-pellet industry might affect this species of concern, both positively and negatively. We then identify mitigation practices that can help offset the potential impacts of logging, thinning, and dead wood removal on gopher tortoise. Our analysis framework may be transferable to other species of concern and land-management practices across diverse landscapes.

Age‐based shifts in habitat selection of wild turkey broods

“…Pine stands were initially avoided by brooding females despite comprising approximately a third of the landscape within our study area. Since the late 1990s, monoculture pine plantations have increased in abundance across the southeastern United States, whereas open canopy forest types have simultaneously declined (Hanberry et al 2019, Oswalt et al 2019), shifting space use, selection, and movement patterns of animals native to pine savanna systems (Smith et al 1990, Demarais et al 2017, Parish et al 2019). Young pine stands were avoided by brooding females, although avoidance of these stands declined slightly as broods aged.…”

Effects of Production of Woody Pellets in the Southeastern United States on the Sustainable Development Goals

“…For example, removal of hardwood trees and management of understory vegetation is key for restoring the longleaf pine ecosystem across its former range and maintaining open canopy conditions in other pine forest types [72,73]. While there are concerns about the effects of an increase in pellet exports on biodiversity, e.g., [21,40,74,75], a framework has been developed to identify mitigation practices that can help offset the potential impacts on species of concern from logging, thinning, and dead wood removal [76]. The framework, designed to help users systematically examine and address effects of management actions on life-history conditions of species of concern, was applied to the case of an endemic, keystone species in the SE US, the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus).…”