scholarly journals Avian Community Response to Midrotation Herbicide Release and Prescribed Burning in Conservation Reserve Program Plantations

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 111-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon Sladek ◽  
L. Burger ◽  
Ian Munn

Abstract Former agricultural lands converted to pine (Pinus spp.) plantations in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) have potential to provide early successional (ES) habitat for many regionally declining pine/grassland and shrub-successional bird species if actively managed with appropriate disturbance regimes. One such regime is use of the selective herbicide Imazapyr (Arsenal Applicators Concentrate) and prescribed burning, which is permitted on CRP lands and cost share payments are available. This study quantified combined effects of Imazapyr and prescribed fire on the breeding season avian community characteristics and pine volume growth in thinned, midrotation afforested loblolly pine (Pinus taedaL.) plantations in Mississippi. Herbicide treatments were applied in fall of 2002 and winter burns were conducted during winter and early spring of 2002–2003. ES bird species richness was significantly greater in the treated plots compared with controls for both 2003 and 2004. Ten individual species exhibited treatment effects. These responses by ES bird species indicate that midrotation CRPplantations can provide needed ES habitat if treated with appropriate disturbance regimes.

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 385-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric L. Derleth ◽  
Daniel G. McAuley ◽  
Thomas J. Dwyer

The effects of small clearcuts (1–8 ha) on avian communities in the forest of eastern Maine were studied using point counts during spring 1978 – 1981. Surveys were conducted in uncut (control) and clear-cut (treatment) plots in three stand types: conifer, hardwood, and mixed growth. We used a mark –recapture model and its associated jackknife species richness estimator [Formula: see text], as an indicator of avian community structure. Increases in estimated richness [Formula: see text] and Shannon–Weaver diversity (H′) were noted in the treated hardwood and mixed growth, but not in the conifer stands. Seventeen avian species increased in relative abundance, whereas two species declined. Stand treatment was associated with important changes in bird species composition. Increased habitat patchiness and the creation of forest edge are hypothesized as causes for the greater estimates of richness and diversity.


2017 ◽  
Vol 168 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-66
Author(s):  
Pierre Mollet ◽  
René Hardegger ◽  
Res Altwegg ◽  
Pius Korner ◽  
Simon Birrer

Breeding bird fauna in a coniferous forest in the northern Prealps after storm Lothar In a 70-hectare large coniferous forest located on the northern edge of the Alps in central Switzerland, Canton of Obwalden, at an altitude of 1260 to 1550 metres above sea level, we surveyed the local breeding bird fauna in 2002 and 2013 by means of point counts as well as additional area searches for rare species. In December 1999, hurricane Lothar caused two large windthrow areas and several smaller areas with scattered throws in the survey range. We found a total of 48 breeding bird species, which is a very diverse species composition for a mountain forest. In the eleven years between surveys, a decline in distribution or abundance was recorded for four species, while seven species showed an increase; a further four species showed no change. For the remaining species, the data sets were too small to reliably estimate changes. A comparison with forest structure data provided by the Swiss Federal Institute of Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL revealed that for five bird species, the changes in distribution or abundance could be explained at least partially by forest succession. In order to obtain realistic distribution and abundance values in this kind of breeding bird survey, it is essential to collect large enough samples and to consider the detection probability of each individual species using appropriate statistical methods.


1992 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M. Fitzgerald ◽  
George W. Tanner

2011 ◽  
Vol 261 (11) ◽  
pp. 1928-1935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma V. Willcox ◽  
William M. Giuliano

2000 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 166-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger A. Williams ◽  
Kenneth W. Farrish

Abstract Late-rotation fertilization was studied over a 6 yr period in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations in north Louisiana. Fertilizer (150 lb/ac of nitrogen and 50 lb/ac of phosphorus) and herbicide (hexazinone, 2.5 lb ai/ac) were applied to five loblolly pine plantations in the 25-yr-old age class (25-26 yr), and five plantations in the 30-yr-old age class (30-32 yr). The study was established as a randomized block design with three blocks in each plantation. Three treatments studied were fertilizer (F), fertilizer+herbicide (FH), and herbicide (H), which were compared to a control. Diameter and volume growth responded significantly to treatments F and FH in both age classes. A greater per-tree response occurred in the 25-yr-old age class as a result of the additive effect of recent thinnings. The use of herbicide in treatments FH and H did not cause a significant increase in growth response. The growth response in treatment FH was not significantly different from the response in treatment F, nor was the growth response in treatment H significantly different from the control. In the 25-yr-old age class the response to fertilization (treatments F and FH) was allocated primarily to the larger trees. Treatments F and FH increased total volume growth (lb) by 48 and 55 ft3/ac/yr, respectively, over control plots while treatment H increased growth by 15 ft3/ac/yr. In the 30-yr-old age class, the response was distributed more evenly among all diameter classes. Treatments F and FH increased total volume growth on average of 58 and 60 ft³/ac/yr, respectively, over control plots while treatment H increased growth by 17 ft3/ac/yr. An economic analysis was performed using discount rates of 8% and 12%, and current prices and costs at the time of the study. Rates of return ranged from 29.6 to 38.8% under various economic scenarios (discount rates, prices and costs) in the 25-yr-old age class. The net present value equivalent to an annual income (EAI) gain for each of the 6 yr of the study ranged from $34.07-$60.54/ac/yr. These same economic scenarios produced rates of return of 23.3 to 31.9% in the 30-yr-old age class, with an EAI range of $18.98-$40.03/ac/yr. South. J. Appl. For. 24(3):166-175.


1997 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 168-174
Author(s):  
Michael G. Shelton ◽  
Paul A. Murphy

Abstract Growth was monitored for 4 yr in a thinned stand in southern Arkansas with three pine basal areas (70, 85, and 100 ft2/ac) and three hardwood basal areas (0, 15, and 30 ft2/ac); pretreatment basal areas averaged 119 and 33 ft2/ac for pines and hardwoods, respectively. Treatments were arranged in a 3 X 3 factorial randomized complete block design with three replicates, yielding 27 permanent 0.20 ac plots. Growth variables were regressed with residual pine and hardwood basal areas. Pine basal area and volume growth increased with the pine stocking level after thinning and decreased with the level of retained hardwoods. For basal area and merchantable volume, hardwood growth largely compensated for losses in the pine component, and thus, hardwood retention had little net effect on the total growth of the stand. The greatest impact of hardwood retention was on the stand's sawtimber growth, because hardwoods did not contribute to this product class. Each 1 ft2/ac of retained hardwood basal area reduced pine sawtimber growth by 6 to 10 bd ft Doyle/ac/yr, depending on the pine stocking. Because large differences existed in the value of timber products, retaining 15 and 30 ft2/ac of hardwoods reduced the value of timber production by 13 and 24%, respectively, at 4 yr after thinning. South. J. Appl. For. 21(4):168-174.


1989 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas M. Stone ◽  
Harry R. Powers

Abstract An intensively prepared site in a high-rust hazard area was fertilized with municipal sewage sludge to provide 300 or 600 lb/ac total nitrogen before planting nursery-run and fusiform rust-resistant seedlings. Rust-resistant seedlings had significantly greater first-year survival andsignificantly lower rust infection at age 6. The sludge treatments increased 6-year diameter and volume growth and decreased rust infection significantly; there were no differences between the two sludge levels. Sludge fertilization significantly increased average height, diameter, and stemvolume of the largest 300 trees/ac and has begun to stimulate crown class differentiation. The greater growth of the larger trees did not alter the proportion infected by rust. Results indicate that even in areas of high-rust hazard, intensive site preparation and sludge fertilization canincrease early growth and accelerate stand development of loblolly pine if rust-resistant stock is planted. South J. Appl. For. 13(2):68-71.


1987 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine G. Bacon ◽  
Shepard M. Zedaker

Abstract The growth response of young loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) to different amounts of competition control was studied in plantations of three ages in the Virginia Piedmont. Eight competition control treatments involved the removal of all, two-thirds, one-third, or none of the hardwoodstems either with or without herbaceous weed control. Results after three growing seasons showed a significant increase in pine diameter and volume growth with competition control. Treatments combining woody and herbaceous control resulted in better pine growth than the same treatments withoutherbaceous control, in the two youngest stands. The best response, obtained with the two-thirds woody plus herbaceous control treatment, resulted in: a 100% increase in volume growth over the check plots in seedlings treated at the beginning of their second growing season in the field; a 93% increase in one-year-old seedlings; and a 53% increase in the growth of seedlings treated before the third growing season. South. J. Appl. For. 11(2):91-95.


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