The relationship between shelterwood cuts and crown thinnings and the abundance and distribution of birds in a southern New England forest

• Published in: Forest ecology and management Vol. 258; no. 3; pp. 314 - 322
• Main Authors: Goodale, Eben, Lalbhai, Punit, Goodale, Uromi M., Ashton, P.M.S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 30-06-2009; [Amsterdam]: Elsevier Science; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Avian diversity; Biological and medical sciences; Crown thinnings; forest habitats; forest thinning; Forestry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; geographical distribution; hardwood forests; natural regeneration; population distribution; shelterwood systems; Shelterwoods; silvicultural practices; Southern New England; species diversity; stand management; Synecology; Terrestrial ecosystems; vegetation structure; wild birds; New England region; Connecticut; United States; North America; America; USA, New England; USA; Shelterwoods; Southern New England; Crown thinnings; Avian diversity; Forests; Forest ecology; Abundance; Biodiversity; Temperate zone; Species diversity; Vertebrata; Crown; Relation; Distribution; Forestry; New England; Aves
• ISSN: 0378-1127; 1872-7042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2009.04.020

Forest regeneration methods such as shelterwood treatments have been shown to substantially increase the diversity of bird species, specifically of species that prefer early seral forests, now rare in the eastern United States. Stand improvement techniques such as thinnings have also been found to increase avian diversity under some conditions. A sustainably managed forest, however, must simultaneously apply regenerative harvesting with stand improvements, and the effect of such treatment combinations on bird community composition is not clear. We compared bird distribution and abundance on shelterwood cuts, crown thinnings, and unmanaged stands at the Yale Myers Forest, a large privately owned and actively managed forest in southern New England. Bird abundance and species diversity was highest in shelterwood cuts and lowest in unmanaged forest, with thinnings being intermediary. Different suites of species inhabited the three treatments, with 18 of 49 common species differing significantly in their abundances between treatments. Characteristics of the vegetation that were directly influenced by silvicultural intervention, including canopy openness, seedling regeneration and vertical structural diversity, appeared to be the dominant drivers of bird abundance. The abundances of some species or groups of species were correlated with the number of trees retained in the implementation of the forestry practices. In conjunction with the conservation of a variety of mature forest habitats, regenerative cuts and stand improvement techniques can be used together to sustain a diverse assemblage of bird species.