Pacific Southwest

Title: The Effects of Timber Harvesting on Neotropical Migrants in Cove Hardwood Forests in the Southern Appalachian Mountains

Author: Kathleen E. Franzreb

Date: 2005

Source: In: Ralph, C. John; Rich, Terrell D., editors 2005. Bird Conservation Implementation and Integration in the Americas: Proceedings of the Third International Partners in Flight Conference. 2002 March 20-24; Asilomar, California, Volume 1 Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-191. Albany, CA: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station: p. 301-311

Station ID: GTR-PSW-191

Description: I compared avian species richness, density, and diversity for neotropical migrants, short distance migrants, and permanent residents following timber harvesting in cove hardwood forests in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. The forest stands were 4-103 years old, had undergone a clearcut or selective tree removal, and represented four successional stages (early, sapling/pole, mid, and late). Neotropical migrants constituted 60.5 to 69.0 percent of species richness. Mean breeding bird density for all species was 225.1 pairs/40 ha (±16.3 se) with an overall mean density for neotropical migrants of 186.2 pairs/40 ha (±5.4 se). Late successional cove hardwood forest habitats provide for a significantly more diverse avifauna with respect to the entire avifauna, and, specifically the neotropical migrants, than does sapling/pole or midsuccessional forests. Neotropical migrants are the most substantial avian component of the highly diverse cove hardwood forest habitat, accounting for a minimum of 70 percent of the individual birds in each successional class. Therefore, their needs must not be overlooked in considering the consequences of habitat alterations and management activities.

Keywords: breeding bird densities, cove hardwood forests, Neotropical migrants, Southern Appalachians, successional stage, timber harvesting

View and Print this Publication (566 KB)

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

Kathleen E. Franzreb  2005.  The Effects of Timber Harvesting on Neotropical Migrants in Cove Hardwood Forests in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.   In: Ralph, C. John; Rich, Terrell D., editors 2005. Bird Conservation Implementation and Integration in the Americas: Proceedings of the Third International Partners in Flight Conference. 2002 March 20-24; Asilomar, California, Volume 1 Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-191. Albany, CA: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station: p. 301-311.