Responses of Isolated Wetland Herpetofauna to Upland Forest Management

Russell, Kevin R.; Hanlin, Hugh G.; Wigley, T. Bently; Guynn, David C.

doi:10.2307/3803127

Cited by 39 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Small pools often form after loss of vegetation (from logging or fire) because decreased evapotranspiration results in elevated water tables and increased soil saturation (Shepard, 1994;Perison et al, 1997). In the Coastal Plain of South Carolina, removal of trees in a loblolly pine forest resulted in increased standing water and higher numbers of bronze frogs (Rana clamitans) in cleared versus reference (unharvested) stands (Russell et al, 2002a). Small isolated wetlands are particularly important amphibian habitats (Dodd, 1992;Semlitsch and Brodie, 1998;Russell et al 2002b) and their formation in burned forests may benefit some amphibians.…”

Section: Hydroperiodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire and amphibians in North America

Pilliod

Bury²,

Hyde³

et al. 2003

Forest Ecology and Management

152

139

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Information on amphibian responses to fire and fuel reduction practices is critically needed due to potential declines of species and the prevalence of new, more intensive fire management practices in North American forests. The goals of this review are to summarize the known and potential effects of fire and fuels management on amphibians and their aquatic habitats, and to identify information gaps to help direct future scientific research. Amphibians as a group are taxonomically and ecologically diverse; in turn, responses to fire and associated habitat alteration are expected to vary widely among species and among geographic regions.Available data suggest that amphibian responses to fire are spatially and temporally variable and incompletely understood. Much of the limited research has addressed short-term (1-3 yr) effects of prescribed fire on terrestrial life stages of amphibians in the southeastern United States.Information on the long-term negative effects of fire on amphibians and the importance of fire for maintaining amphibian communities is sparse for the high number of taxa in North America.Given the size and severity of recent wildland fires and the national effort to reduce fuels on federal lands, future studies are particularly needed to examine the effects of these landscape disturbances on amphibians. We encourage studies to address population-level responses of amphibians to fire by examining how different life stages are affected by changes in aquatic, riparian, and upland habitats. Research designs need to be rigorous and credible, yet provide information that is relevant for fire managers and those responsible for assessing the potential effects of various fuels reduction alternatives on rare, sensitive, and endangered amphibian species.

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Section: Hydroperiodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire and amphibians in North America

Pilliod

Bury²,

Hyde³

et al. 2003

Forest Ecology and Management

152

139

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“…Mole salamanders (Ambystoma talpoideum) in South Carolina reportedly may be able to maintain themselves in clearcut areas as long as there is sufficient cover in the form of coarse woody debris (CWD) or leaf litter (Chazal and Niewiarowski 1998). Russell et al (2002b) found only temporary declines in abundance of both snakes and turtles in clearcut and site-prepared stands adjacent to small ponds on Coastal Plain industrial pine forests; other herpetofaunal groups were either unaffected, or, in the case of bronze frogs (Rana clamitans clamitans), may have benefited from treatment. These studies, while encouraging, do not yet represent a broad consensus of opinion.…”

Section: Wildlife Relationships With Isolated Wetlandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Russell et al (2002b) Divided area surrounding wetlands into clearcut, clearcut with site preparation, and reference stands. Herpetofaunal communities sampled before treatment and 0.5 years and 1.5 years post-treatment.…”

Section: Wildlife Relationships With Isolated Wetlandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing the Southern Pine Forest—Retained Wetland Interface for Wildlife Diversity: Research Priorities

2010

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Forest certification programs require program participants to manage for biodiversity using sciencebased information. Management at the interface of retained wetland features and plantations provides opportunities to enhance wildlife diversity on commercial pine forest lands. We review the scientific literature to document how wildlife in managed pine forests might benefit from retention of isolated wetlands and riparian zones, and potential effects of forest management on conservation of wetlandassociated wildlife on managed pine forests of the southern USA. We suggest research goals and methodologies to address information gaps critical to improved management. Many available studies lacked inferential power, and most depended on measures of diversity, richness, or abundance rather than community similarity or demographic measures of fitness. Observational studies have yielded potential hypotheses that should be tested with manipulative experiments. Demographic measures of fitness should replace potentially misleading measures of abundance or density, and diversity measures supplemented with comparisons of community similarity. Researchers should institute longterm studies to account for temporal variability. Multi-scale analyses would help determine appropriate management scale for isolated wetlands and the utility of riparian areas and associated streamside management zones as dispersal corridors. Landscape-level models would facilitate longterm planning and provide a framework for adaptive management.

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“…Some attention has focused on reptiles, particularly on disturbance to nesting turtles and lizards (Schlaepfer 2003;Jessop and Hamann 2004;Moore and Seigel 2006), effects on basking or foraging reptiles (Burger 2001;Parent and Weatherhead 2000;Goldingay and Newell 2000), effects of roads (Garber and Burger 1995;Gibbs and Shriver 2002), effects of livestock on nesting reptiles (Homyack and Giuliano 2002;Semlitsch and Bodie 2003), and the effect of forest management on reptile assemblages (Brown 2001;Russell et al 2002). The lack of studies with snakes is largely because of their solitary or secretive nature and the difficulty of observation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Effects of off-road vehicles on reproductive success of pine snakes (Pituophus melanoleucus) in the New Jersey pinelands

et al. 2007

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Considerable attention has been devoted to the effects of people and their vehicles on birds and mammals, but possible effects on reptiles in populated areas have received less attention. Moreover, the effects of human activities on reptile reproductive success itself has been harder to demonstrate. This paper examines the effect of management of off-road vehicles in New Jersey's pinelands on the reproductive success of pine snakes (Pituophus melanoleucus) from 1986 to 2005. We used the percentage of snakes in each hibernaculum that were young of the year (hatchlings) as an indicator of reproductive success, and compared this percent for five hibernacula that were in an area with varying degrees of off-road vehicle (ORV) disturbance, with 12 hibernacula in areas with no ORV disturbances (reference sites). This percent took into account differences in absolute numbers from one location to another, and over time due to hibernacula destruction (by people or predators) and natural variations (food supply). The ORV pressure in the pinelands is intense because it lies within the most densely populated urban area in the United States. Although the number of snakes in the reference hibernacula varied over the years from 46 to 63, the percent of young in these hibernacula did not vary significantly over the 20 year period (21-29%). In contrast, the percent-young in the disturbed sites differed significantly in years without ORV disturbance (28%) compared to those with ORV disturbance (15 and 16%, P<0.01). Further, there were no differences between the percent of young in the reference sites and those in the disturbed site in years without ORV disturbance. ORV disturbance ceased only with the creation of large dirt berms coupled with fences that could not be easily broken. These data indicate the importance of having detailed population data on pine snakes in hibernacula, on ORV use (or indications of such use), and of managing ORV use to protect sensitive populations. Maintenance of healthy pine snake populations in urban areas may require continued adaptive management.

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Responses of Isolated Wetland Herpetofauna to Upland Forest Management

Cited by 39 publications

References 39 publications

Fire and amphibians in North America

Fire and amphibians in North America

Managing the Southern Pine Forest—Retained Wetland Interface for Wildlife Diversity: Research Priorities

Effects of off-road vehicles on reproductive success of pine snakes (Pituophus melanoleucus) in the New Jersey pinelands

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