Abstract

Conservation efforts on private lands are important for biodiversity conservation. On private lands in South Carolina, in the southeastern United States, forestry management practices (prescribed burning, thinning, herbicide application) are used to improve upland pine habitat for wildlife and timber harvest and are incentivized through U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Bill cost-share programs. Because many forest-dependent avian species have habitat requirements created primarily through forest management, data are needed on the effectiveness of these management activities. We studied privately owned loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) stands in the South Carolina Piedmont region. Our objective was to understand how management practices influence avian species richness and abundance at local (forest stand) and landscape levels in relatively small stands (average ~28 ha). We surveyed 49 forest stands during 2 bird breeding seasons with traditional point counts and vegetation surveys. We evaluated the effects of management on pine stand characteristics, avian species richness, and abundance of state-designated bird species of concern. Repeated burning and thinning shifted stand conditions to open pine woodlands with reduced basal area and herbaceous understories. Stands with lower basal area supported greater avian species richness. Some species increased in abundance in response to active management (e.g., Brown-headed Nuthatch [Sitta pusilla] and Indigo Bunting [Passerina cyanea]), but relationships varied. Some species responded positively to increases in forest quantity at a landscape scale (1–5 km; e.g., Northern Bobwhite [Colinus virginianus]). We found species-rich avian communities and species of conservation concern on working timber lands, indicating that incentivized forest management on private lands can provide valuable habitat for wildlife.

中文翻译：

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私人林地的植被管理可以增加鸟类物种的丰富度和丰度

摘要

在私有土地上的保护工作对于保护生物多样性很重要。在美国东南部的南卡罗来纳州的私人土地上，林业管理实践（规定的焚烧，间伐，除草剂施用）用于改善高地松树栖息地的野生动植物和木材采伐，并通过美国农业部《农业法案》的成本分摊进行激励程式。由于许多依赖森林的鸟类都有主要通过森林经营创造的栖息地要求，因此需要有关这些经营活动的有效性的数据。我们研究了私有火炬松（taeda松）位于南卡罗来纳州皮埃蒙特地区。我们的目标是了解管理实践如何影响相对较小的林分（平均约28公顷）的地方（森林林分）和景观水平的鸟类物种丰富度和丰度。我们使用传统的点数和植被调查方法在两个鸟类繁殖季节调查了49个林分。我们评估了管理对松林特征，鸟类物种丰富度和国家指定的关注鸟类物种丰富度的影响。反复的燃烧和疏伐改变了林分条件，使松林面积减少，基层面积减少，草皮下层减少。具有较低基部面积的林分支持更大的鸟类物种丰富度。一些物种对主动管理的反应增加了丰度（例如棕头五子雀[ Sitta pusilla]和Indigo Bunting [ Passerina cyanea ]），但关系各不相同。一些物种对景观规模（1-5公里；例如北Bobwhite [ Colinus virginianus ]）的森林数量增加做出了积极的反应。我们在工作的林地上发现了物种丰富的鸟类群落和受保护物种，这表明对私有土地的激励性森林管理可以为野生动植物提供宝贵的栖息地。