Threshold responses of songbirds to long-term timber management on an active industrial forest

Becker, Douglas A.; Wood, Petra Bohall; Keyser, Patrick D.; Wigley, T. Bently; Dellinger, Rachel; Weakland, Cathy A.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2011.04.011

Cited by 14 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…This restriction ensured adequate data for model development while examining a range of potential avian response. Late‐successional species were those associated with forests and small gaps within forests, and early‐successional species were those associated with shrublands and grasslands (Ehrlich et al , Becker et al ). We estimated occupancy using a multiple‐season, robust‐design model (MacKenzie et al ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avian occupancy response to oak woodland and savanna restoration

et al. 2016

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Oak (Quercus spp.) woodlands and savannas throughout the Mid-South, USA have become closed-canopy forests through succession in the absence of fire, contributing to declines in disturbancedependent avian species. Restoration could ameliorate these trends, but effects of such management practices on avian communities of the Mid-South are poorly understood. We implemented an experiment on the Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee with treatments involving fall (Oct) or spring (Mar) fire with woodland (14 m 2 /ha) or savanna (7 m 2 /ha) residual basal area and unmanaged control stands (20 ha each). We conducted fixed-radius point counts 3 times annually (2010)(2011)(2012) and analyzed trends in na€ ıve occupancy for 41 species. For 20 species with adequate data (10 early-, 10 late-successional), we performed multipleseason, robust-design occupancy modeling and accounted for detection bias. We then used mixed-model polynomial regression to define relationships between occupancy and measures of live and dead basal area, midstory density, and herbaceous groundcover. Restoration substantially altered forest structural characteristics but did not affect the occupancy of most late-successional species. In contrast, the presence of early-successional species increased as live basal area decreased and herbaceous groundcover increased. Only 3 of 41 species (hooded warbler [Setophaga citrina], ovenbird [Seiurus aurocapilla], and worm-eating warbler [Helmitheros vermivorum]) exhibited reduced occupancy as woodland and savanna conditions were approached. The presence of all other species, including 13 regionally and 2 continentally declining, remained constant or increased as restoration progressed. Woodland conditions of 10 m 2 /ha live basal area and 20% herbaceous groundcover maximized occupancy of early-successional species with little consequences for latesuccessional species. Proceeding further toward savanna conditions negatively affected species associated with lower strata of mature-forests but further increased the presence of some early-successional species. Midstory density and dead basal area were poor predictors of occupancy and thus may be necessary but not sufficient in promoting early-successional species. Our results suggest implementing oak woodland and savanna management in the Mid-South could benefit disturbance-dependent birds of high conservation priority with minimal negative impacts on the presence of late-successional species. Ó

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avian occupancy response to oak woodland and savanna restoration

et al. 2016

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“…Furthermore, scaling up from the stand to the landscape scale is often much more complex than a simple multiplication. The spatial assemblage of forest stands is especially important for taxonomic groups such as birds (Becker et al., ) and vertebrates in general (Tews et al., ). Nevertheless, evaluating the cumulative effects of implementing either system over a whole landscape is a difficult task, and for economic and logistical reasons has not yet been undertaken.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It also appeared that uneven‐aged silviculture that is practiced uniformly across a landscape reduces avian diversity (Thill & Koerth, ), while this trend is not as clear for mammals. However, the number of studies that compared (even‐ vs. uneven‐aged silviculture) birds and mammals at the landscape level is rare (but see Becker et al., ). As dispersion processes are important for these taxa, there is a clear need to compare landscapes that are mainly managed through even‐aged silviculture to others mainly managed through uneven‐aged silviculture and to do so at a scale corresponding to the taxa's respective home ranges.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing the effects of even‐ and uneven‐aged silviculture on ecological diversity and processes: A review

Nolet

Kneeshaw

Messier

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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With an increasing pressure on forested landscapes, conservation areas may fail to maintain biodiversity if they are not supported by the surrounding managed forest matrix. Worldwide, forests are managed by one of two broad approaches—even‐ and uneven‐aged silviculture. In recent decades, there has been rising public pressure against the systematic use of even‐aged silviculture (especially clear‐cutting) because of its perceived negative esthetic and ecological impacts. This led to an increased interest for uneven‐aged silviculture. However, to date, there has been no worldwide ecological comparison of the two approaches, based on multiple indicators. Overall, for the 99 combinations of properties or processes verified (one study may have evaluated more than one property or process), we found nineteen (23) combinations that clearly showed uneven‐aged silviculture improved the evaluated metrics compared to even‐aged silviculture, eleven (16) combinations that showed the opposite, and 60 combinations that were equivocal. Furthermore, many studies were based on a limited study design without either a timescale (44 of the 76) or spatial (54 of the 76) scale consideration. Current views that uneven‐aged silviculture is better suited than even‐aged silviculture for maintaining ecological diversity and processes are not substantiated by our analyses. Our review, by studying a large range of indicators and many different taxonomic groups, also clearly demonstrates that no single approach can be relied on and that both approaches are needed to ensure a greater number of positive impacts. Moreover, the review clearly highlights the importance of maintaining protected areas as some taxonomic groups were found to be negatively affected no matter the management approach used. Finally, our review points to a lack of knowledge for determining the use of even‐ or uneven‐aged silviculture in terms of both their respective proportion in the landscape and their spatial agency.

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“…Regeneration also provides nest structure for ground-and understory-nesting species (Bell and Whitmore 1997, Chiver et al 2011, Morris et al 2013, Greenberg et al 2014 and partial harvests create habitat for breeding birds associated with shrubby, early successional habitat and young forests (Becker et al 2011, Morris et al 2013, Greenberg et al 2014. Avian community structure was most dissimilar among years-post-harvest at harvest interior points and among point types 3 years post-harvest, based on our ANOSIM tests, which we posit is related to differences in basal area or canopy structure and regeneration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea) and Associated Species Response to Operational Silviculture in the Central Appalachian Region

Nareff¹

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In this study, I assessed the response of Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga cerulea) and 5 additional songbird species to timber harvests prescribed through operational silviculture. The research took place in relatively contiguous mature deciduous forests in 4 states in the central Appalachian region-Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, USA. For the first part of the study, I collected Cerulean Warbler abundance and territory data through point counts and territory mapping, respectively. I used the point count data to model Cerulean Warbler abundance pre-and post-harvest at 5 study areas (Kentucky [n=1], Virginia [n=2], West Virginia [n=2]) and post-harvest at an additional 2 study areas (West Virginia [n=2]). I analyzed territory data from 2 of the 4 study areas in West Virginia. The primary objective was to determine Cerulean Warbler response to timber harvests, implemented based on the Management Guidelines for Enhancing Cerulean Warbler Breeding Habitat in Appalachian Hardwood Forests ("Guidelines"), published in 2013, but covering a broader range of topographic conditions than those described in the Guidelines. The harvests at my study areas encompassed all available slope positions (i.e., lower to ridge) and aspects (i.e., Beers aspects 0-2). Two of my study areas were within the Ridge and Valley physiographic region, not included in the original study. I used 3 point types-harvest interior, harvest edge, and reference-to assess Cerulean Warbler change in abundance pre-and post-harvest and by years-post-harvest. I used dynamic, open population N-mixture models with point count data from the 5 study areas sampled pre-and post-harvest to estimate modeled abundance and population growth and change in abundance pre-to post-harvest, while accounting for detection bias. Using only the postharvest data from these 5 study areas and the count data from the 2 study areas sampled only post-harvest, I used static N-mixture models to estimate modeled abundance and change in abundance among years-post-harvest. The primary results of this analysis indicated that point type, basal area of their preferred tree species, and basal area of large diameter trees were the most important drivers of Cerulean Warbler abundance. Models including slope position and Beers aspect had limited support for the data, which is important in comparing my findings to the Guidelines in which harvests were implemented within Cerulean Warbler preferred habitat characteristics of north-to northeast-facing aspects and upper slopes and ridgelines. Territory density increased 100% between pre-harvest and 2 years post-harvest. The greatest increases in abundance and territory density occurred where pre-harvest numbers were low. For the second part of my study, I used logistic regression and resource selection functions to assess male Cerulean Warbler territory habitat selection with matched usedavailable habitat data. I used vegetation points at male Cerulean Warbler singing locations as "used" locations, which I delineated from detections ...

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Threshold responses of songbirds to long-term timber management on an active industrial forest

Cited by 14 publications

References 49 publications

Avian occupancy response to oak woodland and savanna restoration

Avian occupancy response to oak woodland and savanna restoration

Comparing the effects of even‐ and uneven‐aged silviculture on ecological diversity and processes: A review

Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea) and Associated Species Response to Operational Silviculture in the Central Appalachian Region

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