Responses of songbirds to diameter-limit cutting in the central Appalachians of West Virginia, USA

Canada Warbler use of harvested stands following timber management in the southern portion of their range

“…Previous research in the northern (DeGraaf, 1985;Hagan et al, 1997) and southern portions of their range Maurer et al (1981) and Weakland et al (2002) reported similar results with respect to post-harvest habitat use; however, we observed a shift in habitat use for the three time periods. Canada Warblers initially seemed spatially limited by the availability of patches of disturbance.…”

“…The well-concealed nests are placed on or near the ground among the roots of fallen trees, cavities in the ground, or in litter amongst dense saplings (Reitsma et al, 2010). This species is positively associated with natural disturbances such as wind or tree-fall gaps (Hagan and Grove, 1999;Mitchell, 1999;Faccio, 2003), outbreaks of invasive insects such as spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana; Crawford and Jennings, 1989), and regenerating forests 6-20 years post-harvest (Maurer et al, 1981;DeGraaf, 1985;Hagan et al, 1997;Weakland et al, 2002). The species appears to be disturbance-dependent at higher elevations, especially in the southern portion of its range, including the Appalachian Mountains.…”

Short-Term Effects of Fire and Fire-Surrogate Treatments on Avian Nest Survival: A National-Scale Analysis

“…Similar increases in junco population density were noted in Douglas-fir forests of the Oregon Cascades [16]. Juncos also experienced increased nest survival following harvesting treatments that resulted in an increase in downed woody material in the central Appalachians of West Virginia [33].…”

Threshold responses of songbirds to long-term timber management on an active industrial forest

“…Light partial harvests also maintain trees in a variety of age classes including older mature trees. By retaining many characteristics of mature forests, light partial harvests support mature forest bird species (Weakland et al, 2002;Gram et al, 2003;Campbell et al, 2007;Holmes and Pitt, 2007) as well as increasing abundance of interior-edge species that rely on canopy gaps (Lent and Capen, 1995;Robinson and Robinson, 1999;Greenberg and Lanham, 2001;Weakland et al, 2002). Research is needed to determine the area of each harvest type needed on the landscape to balance habitat needs for multiple avian guilds and species.…”