Landscape-Scale Disturbances and Changes in Bird Communities of Boreal Mixed-Wood Forests

Abstract

Bird community response to both landscape‐scale and local (forest types) changes in forest cover was studied in three boreal mixed‐wood forest landscapes modified by different types of disturbances: (1) a pre‐industrial landscape where human settlement, agriculture, and logging activities date back to the early 1930s, (2) an industrial timber managed forest, and (3) a forest dominated by natural disturbances. Birds were sampled at 459 sampling stations distributed among the three landscapes. Local habitat and landscape characteristics of the context surrounding each sampling station (500‐m and 1‐km radius) were also computed. Bird communities were influenced by landscape‐scale changes in forest cover. The higher proportion of early‐successional habitats in both human‐disturbed landscapes resulted in significantly higher abundance of early‐successional bird species and generalists. The mean number of mature forest bird species was significantly lower in the industrial and pre‐industrial landscapes than in the natural landscape. Landscape‐scale conversion of mature forests from mixed‐wood to deciduous cover in human‐disturbed landscapes was the main cause of changes in mature forest bird communities. In these landscapes, the abundance of species associated with mixed and coniferous forest cover was lower, whereas species that preferred a deciduous cover were more abundant. Variation in bird community composition determined by the landscape context was as important as local habitat conditions, suggesting that predictions on the regional impact of forest management on songbirds with models solely based on local scale factors could be misleading. Patterns of bird species composition were related to several landscape composition variables (proportions of forest types), but not to configuration variables (e.g., interior habitat, amount of edge). Overall, our results indicated that the large‐scale conversion of the southern portion of the boreal forest from a mixed to a deciduous cover may be one of the most important threats to the integrity of bird communities in these forest mosaics. Negative effects of changes in bird communities could be attenuated if current forestry practices are modified toward maintaining forest types (deciduous, mixed‐wood, and coniferous) at levels similar to those observed under natural disturbances.

Rural abandoned landscapes and bird assemblages: winners and losers in the rewilding of a marginal mountain area (NW Spain)

“…These new patches would thus favour open-habitat species Kelly et al 2014) and associated ecosystem services (Whelan et al 2008). We also suggest that further funding of sustainable forest harvesting should be considered in the study area to offset the loss of open habitats and to prevent the occurrence of high-intensity fires as a result of fuel accumulation (Stephens 1998;Drapeau et al 2000;King et al 2011;Fenton et al 2013).…”

Impact of four silvicultural systems on birds in the Belgian Ardenne: implications for biodiversity in plantation forests

“…Stand composition: conifer vs. beech Although some studies have identiWed little impact of tree species composition on bird communities (Müller 1987;Patterson et al 1995;Donald et al 1998), most authors have found, as we have, a greater diversity in broadleaf forests compared with coniferous forests of similar stages, at plot level (Moss 1978;James and Wamer 1982;Bibby et al 1985;Lebreton and Choisy 1991;Baguette et al 1994;Solonen 1996;Gjerde and Saetersdal 1997) as well at larger levels including the whole silvicultural cycle (Jokimäki and Huhta 1996;Drapeau et al 2000). Conifer forests seem to attract only few bird species, as suggested by Drapeau et al (2000).…”

“…Conifer forests seem to attract only few bird species, as suggested by Drapeau et al (2000). In the Ardenne region, the total bird species richness in mature conifer plantation is estimated to be 43 species with a mean richness per plot of 13 species, while the estimations for beech forests are 44 species for the total richness and 16 species for the mean richness per plot (Paquet et al 2006).…”

“…Moss 1978;Müller 1987;Meyer 1994, 1995;Hansen 1995) with few species associated with conifers while some are more associated with broadleaf species. Bird species composition is also inXuenced by vertical and horizontal vegetation structure that is determined by tree growth in the stand (Wigley and Roberts 1997;Lertzmann and Fall 1998) and the silviculture (Bellamy et al 1996;Jokimäki and Huhta 1996;Drapeau et al 2000). The size of the disturbance created by harvesting operations (cutbock size) deWnes diVerent silvicultural systems and is known to inXuence biodiversity (Attiwill 1994;Chesson and Pantastico-Caldas 1994;Schnitzer and Carson 2001).…”

Maximizing Conservation and Production with Intensive Forest Management: It’s All About Location

“…For example, any large-scale spatial scenario should ideally maximize the amount of oldgrowth forest, which is generally rarified by forestry practices that harvest trees at maturity (i.e., between 60 and 100 years of age in Quebec) rather than waiting for trees to begin to die and stands structure to become less uniform. The structurally diverse, deadwood-rich, old-growth stands that are often not allowed to develop in a managed forest are important for many species of plants and animals in the boreal forest of Quebec as elsewhere (e.g., Imbeau et al Environmental Management 2000;Drapeau et al 2000Drapeau et al , 2003Boudreault et al 2002;Desponts et al 2002Desponts et al , 2004Fenton and Bergeron 2008). In the interest of maintaining as much habitat for as many native species as possible, stand diversity should also be maintained.…”