Density of Gopher Tortoise Burrows on Commercial Forestland in Alabama and Mississippi

Wigley, T. Bently; Hedman, Craig W.; Loehle, Craig; Register, Mark; Poirier, Jeremy R.; Durfield, Paul E.

doi:10.5849/sjaf.10-050

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In Wigley et al (), burrow density and size generally did not differ among stand structural classes, albeit all stands were due for a thinning or clearcut, on nearly 14,000 ha of closed‐canopy loblolly ( P. taeda ) and slash pine ( P. elliottii ) PPFs in Alabama and Mississippi. However, burrow densities suggested tortoise densities were lower than the threshold considered to constitute viable populations (Gopher Tortoise Council , ), which may be attributable to the intensive, historical silvicultural practices used in the surveyed stands and high canopy closure maintained over time.…”

Section: Tortoise Response To Timber Managementmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Tortoise use of PPFs may be greatest in clearcuts and regenerating (1–5 yr) stands and open areas adjacent to PPF stands (e.g., rights‐of‐way, roadsides) because these locations typically have open canopies (50–70% closure with some open patches), low to moderate basal area (<16.1 m 2 /ha), and abundant forages (Berish and Moore , Wilson et al , Baskaran et al , Berish et al , Greene et al ). Although tortoises do use PPF stands at canopy closure (Wigley et al ), studies have observed tortoises using edges of PPF stands and roadsides when stand interiors have closed canopies and then moving back to stand interiors following clearcut or another action that opens the canopy, such as thinning (Berish and Moore , Lamb et al ). No studies have reported adverse effects from clearcutting or other intensive forest management, although few have focused on PPFs.…”

Section: Tortoise Response To Timber Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Multiple studies have addressed relationships between presence of burrows and stand structural conditions, and tortoise responses to forestry practices (e.g., Landers and Buckner , McRae et al , Barlow , Jones and Dorr , Wigley et al ; Table ). These studies generally have found that tortoises occur in PPFs, but are influenced by soil properties, overstory canopy closure, and abundance of herbaceous vegetation.…”

Section: Tortoise Response To Timber Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Production pine forest landscapes also often include other cover types, such as roadsides and utility rights‐of‐way, which can provide abundant herbaceous vegetation and other features important to gopher tortoises. The result is a complex and shifting mosaic of land cover conditions across time at the multistand and landscape scales (Wigley et al ). Thus, if habitat quality for tortoises declines in one stand, it may be retained or enhanced in adjacent or nearby stands.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, changes between historical and contemporary silvicultural practices and the overall approach for managing PPFs necessitate reevaluation of the potential value of PPFs as tortoise habitat (e.g., Lang et al ). Many studies have documented presence of tortoise populations in PPFs (e.g., Diemer and Moore , Jones and Dorr , Berish et al , Wigley et al , Tuberville et al ); thus, integrating these forests into conservation strategies is appropriate.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

A Review of Gopher Tortoise Demography and Movements in Production Pine Forest Landscapes

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus; hereafter, tortoise), an ecosystem engineer in open pine (Pinus spp.) woodlands of the southeastern United States, often inhabits production pine forests (PPFs), defined here as even‐aged pine forests managed primarily for timber products, which is a common forest type in the tortoise's range. As a result of frequent disturbance from forest management activities, PPFs are characterized by a shifting mosaic of vegetation conditions over time. However, it is unclear how tortoises respond to these shifting conditions, necessitating an understanding of how forest management activities affect tortoise population dynamics and movements in these landscapes. Therefore, we systematically reviewed literature to assess tortoise responses (e.g., survival, demography, movement) to silvicultural activities in PPF landscapes. Although tortoises are often able to persist in PPF landscapes, their burrows may be concentrated along roadsides, powerline rights‐of‐way, and ecotones between recently harvested and older stands. How, and whether, tortoises can effectively move around PPF landscapes to take advantage of shifting habitat conditions is not well‐understood. We discuss research gaps that must be addressed to enhance conservation efforts on PPF landscapes across ownership types. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

show abstract

Section: Tortoise Response To Timber Managementmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Tortoise Response To Timber Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Tortoise Response To Timber Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

A Review of Gopher Tortoise Demography and Movements in Production Pine Forest Landscapes

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Resource Selection Probability Functions for Gopher Tortoise: Providing a Management Tool Applicable Across the Species’ Range

Kowal¹,

Schmolke²,

Kanagaraj³

et al. 2013

Environmental Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is protected by conservation policy throughout its range. Efforts to protect the species from further decline demand detailed understanding of its habitat requirements, which have not yet been rigorously defined. Current methods of identifying gopher tortoise habitat typically rely on coarse soil and vegetation classifications, and are prone to over-prediction of suitable habitat. We used a logistic resource selection probability function in an information-theoretic framework to understand the relative importance of various environmental factors to gopher tortoise habitat selection, drawing on nationwide environmental datasets, and an existing tortoise survey of the Ft. Benning military base. We applied the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) as an index of vegetation density, and found that NDVI was strongly negatively associated with active burrow locations. Our results showed that the most parsimonious model included variables from all candidate model types (landscape features, topography, soil, vegetation), and the model groups describing soil or vegetation alone performed poorly. These results demonstrate with a rigorous quantitative approach that although soil and vegetation are important to the gopher tortoise, they are not sufficient to describe suitable habitat. More widely, our results highlight the feasibility of constructing highly accurate habitat suitability models from data that are widely available throughout the species' range. Our study shows that the widespread availability of national environmental datasets describing important components of gopher tortoise habitat, combined with existing tortoise surveys on public lands, can be leveraged to inform knowledge of habitat suitability and target recovery efforts range-wide.

show abstract

Estimating capacity of managed pine forests in the southeastern U.S. to provide open pine woodland condition and gopher tortoise habitat

Greene

Iglay

Evans

et al. 2019

Forest Ecology and Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Density of Gopher Tortoise Burrows on Commercial Forestland in Alabama and Mississippi

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

A Review of Gopher Tortoise Demography and Movements in Production Pine Forest Landscapes

A Review of Gopher Tortoise Demography and Movements in Production Pine Forest Landscapes

Resource Selection Probability Functions for Gopher Tortoise: Providing a Management Tool Applicable Across the Species’ Range

Estimating capacity of managed pine forests in the southeastern U.S. to provide open pine woodland condition and gopher tortoise habitat

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About