Partial cutting of woodlots in an agriculture-dominated landscape: effects on forest bird communities

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (12) ◽  
pp. 2467-2476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen B Holmes ◽  
Dawn M Burke ◽  
Ken A Elliott ◽  
Michael D Cadman ◽  
Lyle Friesen
Keyword(s):  
Basal Area ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Forest Bird ◽  
Single Tree Selection ◽  
Dendroica Pensylvanica ◽  
Successional Species ◽  
Brown Creeper ◽  
Silvicultural Guidelines

We studied the short-term effects of partial cutting on the forest bird communities of mixed maple forests in an agriculture-dominated landscape in southwestern Ontario. Blocks that had been recently harvested were grouped according to provincial silvicultural guidelines (standard and heavy cuts) and compared with blocks that had been uncut for at least 24 years (old cuts). We found significant differences in forest bird community structure between standard and heavy cuts and between heavy and old cuts, but not between standard and old cuts. Heavy cuts had more species and more individuals than old cuts, the result primarily of greater numbers of early-successional species. Brown creeper (Certhia americana Bonap.) was the only species to show a significant negative response to harvesting and was the best indicator of old cuts, while indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea L.), brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater Bodd.), chestnut-sided warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica L.), American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla L.), and great crested flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus L.) were all significant indicators of heavy cuts. Our research suggests that it is possible to protect native bird communities in southwestern Ontario by using the single-tree selection system to meet the minimum basal area targets and harvest intensities recommended in provincial silvicultural guidelines.

Status, diversity and trends of the bird communities in Volcanoes National Park and surrounds, Rwanda

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
MIA A. DERHÉ ◽  
DEO TUYISINGIZE ◽  
WINNIE ECKARDT ◽  
FAIDA EMMANUEL ◽  
TARA STOINSKI
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Population Pressure ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Albertine Rift ◽  
1960S And 1970S

SummaryThe Volcanoes National Park (VNP) in Rwanda, part of the Virunga massif in the Albertine Rift region, boasts some of Rwanda’s best remaining natural vegetation and is home to many endangered and endemic species. The park has suffered from high levels of degradation and destruction, reducing in size by 50% during the 1960s and 1970s, and remains under threat from illegal activities, human population pressure and climate change. This study is the first to investigate the status and trends of bird communities in the VNP, using a multi-year dataset. We use a five-year dataset, totalling over 3,200 point-counts, both within and around the VNP, to assess the conservation value of the VNP for birds in comparison with other national parks and non-protected areas. We assess bird communities and population trends within and around the parks and identify important habitat factors for birds within the VNP. We found that the VNP hosts a unique bird community compared to other localities, with several Albertine Rift endemics and threatened species occurring in the VNP. Hagenia/ Hypericum woodland, herbaceous vegetation, brush ridge and mixed forest host the highest levels of bird diversity in the VNP, whilst the park’s waterbodies provide key habitat for the endangered Albertine Rift endemic Grauer’s Swamp-warbler (Bradypterus graueri). Elevation had a negative effect on bird diversity in the VNP, whilst the basal area of dead trees, Hagenia and vines had a positive effect. Both inside and outside the VNP, there was a significant decline in abundance and species richness over the sampling years; however, we advocate for further monitoring to confirm these trends. Based on our findings, we recommend effective, targeted management of key habitats for birds within the park, including those identified in this study, in order to mitigate bird declines and conserve the unique bird communities in the VNP.

scholarly journals Six Decades of Growth and Yield and Financial Return in a Silviculture Experiment in Northern Hardwoods

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maeve C Draper ◽  
Robert E Froese
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Long Term Results ◽  
Northern Hardwoods ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Upper Peninsula ◽  
Single Tree ◽  
Single Tree Selection ◽  
Upper Peninsula Of Michigan

Abstract The Cutting Methods Study at the Ford Forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA, was established in 1956 and has been maintained continuously on a 10 year cycle. Methods consist of three diameter limits (DL; 13, 30, and 41 cm), single-tree selection to three residual basal area limits (STS; 11, 16, and 21 m2ha−1), and light improvement (LI) focused on improving tree grade. Long-term results show that the 41 cm DL produced the greatest managed forest value and cumulative sawlog production, followed by the STS to 11 m2ha−1 residual basal area. STS treatments and LI were uniformly superior at improving standing tree grade. In contrast, treatments that emphasize removal of large diameter trees while retaining moderate residual basal area (the 41 cm DL and 11 m2ha−1 STS) produced the largest harvest volumes of high-grade sawlogs, driving financial performance. Stand density has declined in all treatments except the 30 and 41 cm DL, where it has increased, and these two treatments have larger abundance of saplings and poles. Alternative partial cutting methods such as selection to lower residual basal areas and medium-intensity diameter-limit cuts thus may provide greater financial returns and higher average quality, and could have implications on regeneration and long-term sustainability. Study Implications: Long-term comparison of alternative partial cutting practices in northern hardwoods in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan over 60 years reveals that Arbogast-based single-tree selection is inferior using financial and volume yield criteria. Alternatives that remove more of the larger trees appear over time to increase regeneration and harvested tree quality, which in turn drives financial performance. However, treatments with extremely high volume removals perform poorly against all others, and have few, if any, redeeming financial, silvicultural, or ecological qualities.

scholarly journals The impact of Sosnowsky’s Hogweed on feeding guilds of birds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilia Grzędzicka ◽  
Jiří Reif
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Feeding Guilds ◽  
Guild Structure ◽  
Feeding Guild ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
The Impact

AbstractPlant invasions alter bird community composition worldwide, but the underlying mechanisms still require exploration. The investigation of feeding guild structure of bird communities can be informative in respect to the potential impact of invasion features on the availability of food for birds. For this purpose, we focused on determining the influence of the invasive Sosnowsky’s Hogweed Heracleum sosnowskyi on the abundance of birds from various feeding guilds. In spring and summer 2019, birds were counted three times on 52 pairs of sites (control + Heracleum) in southern Poland, at various stages of Sosnowsky’s Hogweed development (i.e. sprouting, full growth and flowering, all corresponding to respective bird counts). We have shown that the presence of invader negatively affected the abundance of birds from all feeding guilds. However, a closer examination of the invaded sites uncovered that responses of particular guilds differed in respect to development stages expressed by a set of characteristics of the invader. Ground and herb insectivores were more common on plots with a higher number of the invader, while the abundance of bush and tree insectivores was negatively correlated with hogweeds’ height. Granivores were not affected by the invader’s features, while the abundance of omnivores was negatively related to the number of flowering hogweeds. Besides showing the general negative impact of the invader on different feeding guilds, our research has shown that certain aspects of Sosnowsky’s Hogweed invasion may support or depress occurrence of different birds on invaded plots. Knowledge of these aspects may facilitate our capacity for coping with challenges the invasive plants put in front of bird conservationists.

Do northern forest bird communities show more ecological plasticity than southern forest bird communities in eastern Canada?

Ecoscience ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neal Simon ◽  
Antony Diamond ◽  
Francis E. Schwab
Keyword(s):  
Bird Communities ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Northern Forest ◽  
Ecological Plasticity ◽  
Forest Bird

Partial cutting reduces species richness of fungi on woody debris in oak-rich forests

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 1807-1816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Björn Nordén ◽  
Frank Götmark ◽  
Martin Ryberg ◽  
Heidi Paltto ◽  
Johan Allmér
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Fruiting Bodies ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Total Species Richness ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Closed Canopy ◽  
And Control ◽  
Total Species

Partial cutting is increasingly applied in European temperate oak-dominated forests for biofuel harvesting, and to counteract succession in protected stands. Effects on biodiversity of these measures need to be carefully evaluated, and species-rich but neglected taxa such as fungi should be considered. We studied the effects of partial cutting on fungal fruiting bodies on woody debris. In 21 closed canopy forests rich in large oaks in Sweden, on average 25%–30% of the basal area was cut. Fruiting bodies were counted and some were collected in treated and control plots before and after treatment. We found 334 basidiomycete and 47 ascomycete species. Species richness of basidiomycetes declined significantly more in treated plots (on average 26%) than in control plots (on average 13%) between seasons. Species richness of ascomycetes increased by 17% in control plots and decreased by 2% in treated plots. Total species richness was significantly reduced on fine woody debris (1–10 cm in diameter), but not on coarse woody debris (>10 cm). Overall species composition did not change significantly as a result of partial cutting, but red-listed species tended to decrease more in treated plots. We suggest that approximately 30% of the stands should not be thinned, and dead stems and fallen branches should not be removed, to favor saproxylic fungi and their associated fauna.

POPULATION TRENDS OF THE FOREST BIRD COMMUNITY ON THE PACIFIC ISLAND OF ROTA, MARIANA ISLANDS

The Condor ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 110 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
ARJUN AMAR ◽  
FRED AMIDON ◽  
BEATRIZ ARROYO ◽  
JACOB A. ESSELSTYN ◽  
ANN P. MARSHALL
Keyword(s):  
Bird Community ◽  
Population Trends ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
Mariana Islands ◽  
Forest Bird ◽  
The Pacific

Seasonality of a forest bird community in Hong Kong, South China

Ibis ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 141 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.K. KWOK ◽  
RICHARD T. CORLETT
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
South China ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Forest Bird

Forest Bird Communities of the Hawaiian Islands: Their Dynamics, Ecology, and Conservation

1989 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 860
Author(s):  
F. Stauffer ◽  
J. Michael Scott ◽  
Stephen Mountainspring ◽  
Fred L. Ramsey ◽  
Cameron B. Kepler
Keyword(s):  
Hawaiian Islands ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Forest Bird
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