Toward Conservation of Canada's Boreal Forest Avifauna: Design and Application of Ecological Models at Continental Extents

Cumming, Steven G.; Lefevre, Kara L.; Bayne, Erin M.; Fontaine, Trish; Schmiegelow, Fiona K. A.; Song, Samantha J.

doi:10.5751/ace-00406-050208

Cited by 35 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Density estimates were acquired from data collated by the Boreal Avian Modeling Project (hereafter BAM; Cumming et al 2010). As of September 2012, BAM had combined over 100,000 off-road point-counts from across boreal North America (Fig.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Estimate of Nest Loss in Canada Due to Industrial Forestry Operations

Hobson¹,

Wilson²,

Wilgenburg³

et al. 2013

ACE

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ABSTRACT. Annual loss of nests by industrial (nonwoodlot) forest harvesting in Canada was estimated using two avian pointcount data sources: (1) the Boreal Avian Monitoring Project (BAM) dataset for provinces operating in this biome and (2) available data summarized for the major (nonboreal) forest regions of British Columbia. Accounting for uncertainty in the proportion of harvest occurring during the breeding season and in avian nesting densities, our estimate ranges from 616 thousand to 2.09 million nests. Estimates of the impact on numbers of individuals recruited into the adult breeding population were made based on the application of survivorship estimates at various stages of the life cycle. Future improvements to this estimate are expected as better and more extensive avian breeding pair density estimates become available and as provincial forestry statistics become more refined, spatially and temporally. The effect of incidental take due to forestry is not uniform and is disproportionately centered in the southern boreal. Those species whose ranges occur primarily in these regions are most at risk for industrial forestry in general and for incidental take in particular. Refinements to the nest loss estimate for industrial forestry in Canada will be achieved primarily through the provision of more accurate estimates of the area of forest harvested annually during the breeding season stratified by forest type and Bird Conservation Region (BCR). A better understanding of survivorship among life-history stages for forest birds would also allow for better modeling of the effect of nest loss on adult recruitment. Finally, models are needed to project legacy effects of forest harvesting on avian populations that take into account forest succession and accompanying cumulative effects of landscape change.RÉSUMÉ. La perte annuelle de nids attribuable à la récolte forestière industrielle (excluant les petits boisés privés) au Canada a été estimée à l'aide de deux sources de dénombrements par points d'écoute : 1) les données du Projet de modélisation de l'avifaune boréale pour les provinces possédant ce biome; et 2) les données compilées dans les principales régions forestières (autres que boréales) de la Colombie-Britannique. En tenant compte de l'incertitude liée à la proportion de la récolte forestière qui s'effectue durant la saison de nidification et aux densités d'oiseaux nicheurs, notre estimation se situe entre 616 milliers et 2,09 millions de nids. Les estimations de l'effet des coupes sur le nombre d'individus recrutés dans la population d'adultes nicheurs ont été fondées sur des estimations de la survie à divers stades du cycle vital. Cette estimation du nombre de nids détruits est appelée à s'améliorer à mesure que de meilleures estimations des densités de couples nicheurs seront disponibles et que les statistiques forestières par province seront révisées, tant spatialement que temporellement. L'effet de la prise accessoire attribuable aux activités forestières n'est pas uniforme et est disproportionnel...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Estimate of Nest Loss in Canada Due to Industrial Forestry Operations

Hobson¹,

Wilson²,

Wilgenburg³

et al. 2013

ACE

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“…Thus, the temporal replication of BAM surveys tends to be quite low, the survey methods are variable, and the sampling haphazard among contributing studies (Cumming et al 2010a). …”

Section: Power To Detect Trends In Avian Abundancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also analyzed data from off-road avian surveys that were conducted across boreal Canada from 1992-2010 and were compiled as part of the Boreal Avian Modelling (BAM) Project (Cumming et al 2010a). We used all of the BAM and the BBS locations when testing for geographic and habitat gaps in sampling.…”

Section: Data Analyzedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For habitats, we used the land cover classes defined by the 250-m resolution Land Cover Map of Canada 2005 (Latifovic et al 2008) and reclassified from 39 to 17 cover types by Cumming et al (2010a). For our analysis, we collapsed the cover types further into nine classes: conifer forests and woodlands (conifer); deciduous forests and woodlands (deciduous); mixed forests and woodlands (mixed); bogs, fens, wetlands, and riparian areas (wetlands); open herbaceous and grass habitats (herbaceous/grass); tundra, non-vascular, rock, and snow (tundra / lichen / rock); recent burns (burns); agricultural lands (agricultural); and urban areas (urban).…”

Section: Data Analyzedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, we first examined both the road network and the locations of BBS surveys to determine whether each sampled geographic strata and habitats in proportion to their availability at different spatial scales across boreal Canada. We also conducted similar analyses using locations of off-road surveys from across the boreal and compiled as part of the Boreal Avian Modelling (BAM) Project (Cumming et al 2010a). We then highlighted gaps in BBS coverage relative to geographic locations and habitats and assessed whether these gaps (1) reflected biases inherent in the distribution of roads, (2) were accounted for by off-road surveys compiled by BAM, and (3) could be filled by additional roadside surveys.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding the value of imperfect science from national estimates of bird mortality from window collisions

Machtans¹,

Thogmartin

2014

The Condor

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Executive Summary.-The Boreal Avian Modelling (BAM) team examined avian survey point count data collected from across the boreal forest region of Canada to quantify roadside bias in both survey coverage and survey counts by the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), the most important monitoring survey for a wide suite of bird species in the boreal. We compared data from the BBS to data from off-road surveys compiled by the Boreal Avian Modelling Project (BAM) to (1) determine whether gaps in survey coverage by the BBS might be covered by off-road surveys in the region, (2) test for roadside bias in survey counts by comparing data between roadside and off-road surveys, and (3) determine whether the statistical power to detect trends was similar between roadside and off-road surveys given comparable survey effort.• Survey coverage by the BBS was strongly biased toward sampling southern ecozones which make up 49% of the boreal but received 89% of the BBS surveys. Thus, the ecozones in the northern half of the boreal collectively comprise one of the largest gaps in survey coverage in North America; poorly sampled habitats across the boreal included conifer forests and woodlands, tundra-and lichen-dominated areas, wetlands, and areas with recent burns.• The patterns of proportional survey coverage by the BBS, in terms of geographic and habitat strata, mirrored the distribution of the road network and the sampling of off-road areas by BAM.Thus the BBS appears to (1) sample geographic areas and habitats in proportion to their availability along the road network and (2) draw from the same sampling frame as the off-road surveys included in BAM (i.e., the road network).• Opportunities exist to address some of the geographic sampling gaps in the northern boreal in areas serviced by existing roads. We identified 380 areas in the northern boreal with ≥30 km of road network, but with no prior surveys. These areas should be evaluated for future roadside surveys aimed at closing the large continental gap in avian survey coverage. However, complete coverage of sampling gaps will likely require a coordinated, national approach to off-road surveys in the northern boreal. 2• We found significant differences in survey counts for 79% of 85 species between roadside and off-road surveys (roadside bias). Positive roadside bias was more than twice the magnitude of negative roadside bias both in terms of number of species and average effect size. These results are similar to those from small-scale studies in the temperate zone. Extrapolating roadside results to off-road areas may overestimate population sizes for those species that exhibit positive roadside biases.• Although we controlled for habitat type at the point count location, our results indicated that (1) species showing positive roadside bias are often associated with agricultural areas, clearings, shrub habitats, habitat edges, or human structures and (2) species showing negative bias tend to be associated with mature forests or forest interiors. Controlling for additiona...

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Ecological monitoring through harmonizing existing data: Lessons from the boreal avian modelling project

et al. 2015

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To accomplish the objectives of a long-term ecological monitoring program (LTEM), repurposing research data collected by other researchers is an alternative to original data collection. The Boreal Avian Modelling (BAM) Project is a 10-year-old project that has integrated the data from >100 avian point-count studies encompassing thousands of point-count surveys, and harmonized across data sets to account for heterogeneity induced by methodological and other differences. The BAM project faced the classic data-management challenges any LTEM must deal with, as well as special challenges involved with harmonizing so many disparate data sources. We created a data system consisting of 4 components: Archive (to preserve each contributor's data), Avian Database (harmonized point-count data), Biophysical Database (spatially explicit environmental covariates), and Software Tools library (linking the other components and providing analysis capability). This system has allowed the project to answer many questions about boreal birds; we believe it to be successful enough to merit consideration for use in monitoring other taxa. We have learned a number of lessons that will guide the project as it moves forward. These include the importance of creating a data protocol, the critical importance of high-quality metadata, and the need for a flexible design that accommodates changes in field techniques. One of the challenges the BAM team faced-gaining access to relevant data sets-may become easier with the increased expectation by journals and funding agencies that documenting and preserving research data be a standard part of scientific research. Ó 2015 The Wildlife Society.

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Toward Conservation of Canada's Boreal Forest Avifauna: Design and Application of Ecological Models at Continental Extents

Cited by 35 publications

References 65 publications

An Estimate of Nest Loss in Canada Due to Industrial Forestry Operations

An Estimate of Nest Loss in Canada Due to Industrial Forestry Operations

Understanding the value of imperfect science from national estimates of bird mortality from window collisions

Ecological monitoring through harmonizing existing data: Lessons from the boreal avian modelling project

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