Benefits of aggregate green tree retention to boreal forest birds

Venier, Lisa A.; Dalley, Kate L.; Goulet, Pierre J.; Mills, Stephen C.; Pitt, Doug; Cowcill, K.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2015.01.024

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…In our previous study, we confirmed the importance of retaining very large, individual legacy trees [83] of the Pedunculate oaks on cuts in hardwood floodplain forests for bird diversity, especially for guilds of hole-nesters [84]. However, as highlighted by the study [85], despite the fact that green tree retention provides breeding quality habitats for a large group of forest birds, it is not equivalent to the conservation of intact old-growth forests, and thus this suggests that intact old-growth forest ecosystems should be maintained in landscapes if we want to conserve forest biodiversity. The findings of the study [86] are in close accordance with our results from Litovelske Pomoravi: Here, old-growth hardwood floodplain forest stands are key breeding habitats for forest dwelling bird species, such as Ciconia nigra, Ficedula albicollis and Sitta europaea.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Bird Diversity as a Support Decision Tool for Sustainable Management in Temperate Forested Floodplain Landscapes

et al. 2019

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Sustainably managed forests provide multiple ecosystem services in cultural landscapes, including maintaining biodiversity. Better understanding of the benefits regarding the biodiversity of different silvicultural practices is important for sustainable landscape management. Conservation targets in forested landscapes should be determined by land managers and policy-makers, based on serious ecological research. This study deals with response of bird diversity to three different habitat types of temperate hardwood floodplain forests, which reflect specific forms of forest management. Research was based on long-term field bird census in the years 1998 to 2002 applying the point count method. Data was analysed using regression analysis with dummy variables. The results of the study indicate that hardwood floodplain forest heterogeneity, supported by different types of forest management (old-growth forest protection, group-selection harvesting and forest edge protection), provides large-scale habitat mosaic conditions suitable for many breeding bird species with different ecological niches. This result suggests that comparison of bird diversity response to different forest management types can be used as a decision support tool for sustainable landscape management strategy and local management practices in forested cultural lowland landscapes. Improvements in both regional and local ecological knowledge are generally needed in order to control floodplain land use decisions, which are typically made on the scale of landscape management. 2 of 15 above transition zones, below which, species loss is likely to occur. Forest ecosystems are crucial in maintaining climate, biodiversity and human well-being [7]. At the landscape scale, the benefits produced by forests are strongly influenced by forest management [8]. This is especially important in cultural lowland landscapes along large rivers, areas which have suffered from a significant decline in riparian floodplain forests [9].In the European temperate zone, hardwood floodplain forests (HFF) are endangered habitats. HFF provide various important ecosystem services in the lowland landscapes [10]. Land use changes and land use intensification induced by human activities are closely connected to the current ecological status of HFF in many European regions [11]. Despite centuries of intense human pressure, HFF are forest ecosystems with very rich alpha-biodiversity on the scale of individual trees and on the scale of forest stands [12,13]. A mosaic of floodplain forest habitats (including rivers and wetlands) creates a unique ecological gradient of beta-biodiversity [14]. Thus, HFF are key ecosystems in the maintenance of biodiversity on the scale of lowland riparian landscapes [15]. Because of their high biodiversity value, the natural and semi-natural remnants of HFF are usually included in ecological networks in a landscape [16]. They are also protected within the framework of international (such as the Natura 2000 European Network) or national systems for protected area...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Bird Diversity as a Support Decision Tool for Sustainable Management in Temperate Forested Floodplain Landscapes

et al. 2019

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“…Local patch size has also been demonstrated to be an important driver of species abundance, which can be both a local and landscape measure [3]. The low sensitivity of many boreal songbirds to harvesting at a landscape scale has been reported in several studies [50][51][52][53], and it has been suggested by others [7,19,54]. This may be because birds in boreal forests are adapted to frequent disturbances in natural boreal forest landscapes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…There is a long-standing debate about the relationship between abundance and productivity [69], where some habitats contain sink populations that rely on immigration from outside of the stand to maintain populations [70]. Research in Ontario has demonstrated that many old forest associates do breed successfully in small patches of mature forest in a forest management context [53]. In contrast, there is evidence from areas fragmented by agriculture that reproductive success can be lowered in habitat fragments such that they become population sinks that cannot be maintained without immigration [71].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of Forest Bird Communities to Managed Landscapes in the Acadian Forest

Venier,

Porter,

Adams

et al. 2024

Forests

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The loss of mature forests is a known stressor of forest management on biodiversity. Mature forests provide unique habitat for forest birds. Here, we examine the capacity of mature forest stands embedded in an intensively managed landscape to provide habitat for landbird species that are associated with mature, unfragmented habitats. We carry this out by comparing bird communities in forest stands in three landscapes with a gradient of management activity. We examined community-level indicators (richness, diversity, abundance and community structure), and trait-level indicators (species groups associated with cavity nesting, mature forests, interior forests and area sensitivity). We found no obvious negative effects on bird communities, species and trait groups in forest stands in the most intensively managed landscape relative to the less intensively managed landscapes. Our ability to draw inferences about the influence of management intensity is limited due to lack of replication; however, these results do provide evidence that mature forest stands within intensively managed landscapes can provide valuable habitat to mature forest associates. There are often trade-offs between generating wood products from the forest and the provision of mature forest habitats. Research on forest birds can provide some of the necessary information for assessing the size and shape of those trade-offs and help to inform the conversation about the desired structure, function and composition of forests.

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“…The ILOTs in our study plots in Litovelske Pomoravi are dispersed in cuts. Study [58] evaluated aggregate GTR in boreal forest which were more beneficial for forest birds than dispersed retention harvest. Although aggregate retention patches are not equivalent to larger areas of intact forests, aggregate GTR are very important breeding habitats for forest birds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Retention Forestry Supports Bird Diversity in Managed, Temperate Hardwood Floodplain Forests

Machar

Schlossárek

Pechanec

et al. 2019

Forests

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The retention forestry approach is considered as one of the potentially effective tools for sustainable forest management for conservation of biodiversity in managed temperate and boreal forests. Retention of old-growth forest structures (e.g., very large old living trees) in forest stands during clear-cutting provides maintenance of key habitats for many old-growth forest interior-species. Most of ecological studies on green tree retention (GTR) consequences for biodiversity have been focused on birds. However, the long-term studies of GTR impacts on forest birds are very poor. In this paper, we focused on assessment of the long-term consequences of leaving legacy oak trees on the cut areas for bird diversity 18–22 years after clear-cutting in managed temperate European hardwood floodplain forests. Results based on bird counting using mapping of bird nesting territories revealed a key importance of legacy oak trees for maintaining bird diversity in the study area. These results are widely applicable for managed temperate hardwood forests with serious dominance of oak (Quercus sp.) in forest stands. Legacy oak trees in this habitat type are keystone structures for bird diversity. Retention approach focused on these trees is potentially an important conservation tool for preserving forest bird diversity and other associated species in temperate hardwood forests managed by clear-cutting.

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Benefits of aggregate green tree retention to boreal forest birds

Cited by 11 publications

References 21 publications

Bird Diversity as a Support Decision Tool for Sustainable Management in Temperate Forested Floodplain Landscapes

Bird Diversity as a Support Decision Tool for Sustainable Management in Temperate Forested Floodplain Landscapes

Response of Forest Bird Communities to Managed Landscapes in the Acadian Forest

Retention Forestry Supports Bird Diversity in Managed, Temperate Hardwood Floodplain Forests

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