Pacific Northwest Research Station

Title: Treatment of old-growth stands and its effects on birds, ants, and large woody debris: a case study.

Author: Bull, Evelyn L.; Torgersen, Torolf R.; Blumton, Arlene K.; McKenzie, Carol M.; Wyland, Dave S.

Date: 1995

Source: Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-353. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 12 p

Station ID: GTR-PNW-353

Description: An old-strucutre stand with large amounts of tree mortality was treated to accelerate regeneration and reduce fuel loads but still maintain its function as old growth for selected bird species. The small-diameter (<15 inches in diameter at breast height [d.b.h.]), dead trees were removed as was some of the down wood <15 inches in diameter at the large end. All live trees of any size and all dead trees >15 inches d.b.h were retained.

Vaux's swifts (Chaetura vauxi) and pileated woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileated) continued to use the stand after harvest for nesting and roosting. Brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) were more than twice as common in the treated stand as in an adjacent unlogged, control stand.

In a comparison before and after harvest in the treated stand, the number of logs increased, the number of logs with ants increased, but the percentage of logs with ants decreased.

Keywords: Ants, down woody debris, old-structure stand, restoration, pileated woodpecker, Vaux's swift, Dryocopus, Chaetura, Molothrus, Camponotus, Formica

View and Print this Publication (1.13 MB)

Publication Notes: 

• We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
• This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.
• You may send email to pubrequest@fs.f ed.us to request a hard copy of this publication. (Please specify exactly which publication you are requesting and your mailing address.)

 Get the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat reader or Acrobat Reader for Windows with Search and Accessibility

Citation

Bull, Evelyn L.; Torgersen, Torolf R.; Blumton, Arlene K.; McKenzie, Carol M.; Wyland, Dave S.  1995.  Treatment of old-growth stands and its effects on birds, ants, and large woody debris: a case study..   Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-353. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 12 p