Wildlife forestry is management of forest resources, within sites and across landscapes, to provide sustainable, desirable habitat conditions for all forest-dependent (silvicolous) fauna while concurrently yielding economically viable, quality timber products. In practice, however, management decisions associated with wildlife forestry often reflect a desire to provide suitable habitat for rare species, species with declining populations, and exploitable (i.e., game) species. Collectively, these species are deemed priority species and they are assumed to benefit from habitat conditions that result from prescribed silvicultural management actions.
The Challenge: Management of bottomland forests using wildlife forestry silviculture is being undertaken to achieve desired forest conditions for priority silvicolous wildlife, such as Louisiana black bear, migratory birds, and resident game species. Wildlife forestry management results in forests that have more open canopies and increased understory vegetation yet exhibit heterogeneous structure with retained dominant trees and cavities. Creating these conditions on recently reforested sites and maintaining these conditions in mature forests, without undesirable shifts shade-tolerant tree species composition are management concerns.
The Science: Changes in forest structure within reforested bottomland forests are being assessed and compared among differed management types and contrasted with unmanaged stands. Within mature forests, survival and accession to canopy of shade-intolerant trees are being assessed in response to wildlife forestry silviculture.
The Future: Assessments of changes in forest structure, rates of canopy gap closure, and survival of shade-intolerant tree species will provide a framework upon which to base the prognosis for perpetuation of desired forest conditions. Recommendations for forest management on reforested sites will target attainment and maintenance of enhanced forest habitat for priority wildlife.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Influence of forest harvest severity and time since perturbation on conservation of North American birds
Rapid adoption of nestboxes by Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea) in mesic deciduous forest
Breeding birds in managed forests on public conservation lands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
Object-based forest classification to facilitate landscape-scale conservation in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
Forest structure of oak plantations after silvicultural treatment to enhance habitat for wildlife
Leaf-on canopy closure in broadleaf deciduous forests predicted during winter
Change in avian abundance predicted from regional forest inventory data
Effects of wildlife forestry on abundance of breeding birds in bottomland hardwood forests of Louisiana
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
Wildlife forestry is management of forest resources, within sites and across landscapes, to provide sustainable, desirable habitat conditions for all forest-dependent (silvicolous) fauna while concurrently yielding economically viable, quality timber products. In practice, however, management decisions associated with wildlife forestry often reflect a desire to provide suitable habitat for rare species, species with declining populations, and exploitable (i.e., game) species. Collectively, these species are deemed priority species and they are assumed to benefit from habitat conditions that result from prescribed silvicultural management actions.
The Challenge: Management of bottomland forests using wildlife forestry silviculture is being undertaken to achieve desired forest conditions for priority silvicolous wildlife, such as Louisiana black bear, migratory birds, and resident game species. Wildlife forestry management results in forests that have more open canopies and increased understory vegetation yet exhibit heterogeneous structure with retained dominant trees and cavities. Creating these conditions on recently reforested sites and maintaining these conditions in mature forests, without undesirable shifts shade-tolerant tree species composition are management concerns.
The Science: Changes in forest structure within reforested bottomland forests are being assessed and compared among differed management types and contrasted with unmanaged stands. Within mature forests, survival and accession to canopy of shade-intolerant trees are being assessed in response to wildlife forestry silviculture.
The Future: Assessments of changes in forest structure, rates of canopy gap closure, and survival of shade-intolerant tree species will provide a framework upon which to base the prognosis for perpetuation of desired forest conditions. Recommendations for forest management on reforested sites will target attainment and maintenance of enhanced forest habitat for priority wildlife.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Influence of forest harvest severity and time since perturbation on conservation of North American birds
I calculated avian conservation scores, based on published quantitative assessment of bird presence (typically relative abundance) and regional Partners in Flight conservation concern score of each species. I related these avian conservation scores to severity of forest perturbation (i.e., % retention) and number of years since perturbation for forest stands within North America. I characterized aRapid adoption of nestboxes by Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea) in mesic deciduous forest
Breeding territory selection in Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea (Boddaert, 1783)) is thought to hinge on standing water, with a strong preference for low-lying areas prone to seasonal flooding. However, we have observed this species nesting in much drier areas than previously reported. We recently initiated a study of the Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790)) using wooBreeding birds in managed forests on public conservation lands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
Managers of public conservation lands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley have implemented forest management strategies to improve bottomland hardwood habitat for target wildlife species. Through implementation of various silvicultural practices, forest managers have sought to attain forest structural conditions (e.g., canopy cover, basal area, etc.) within values postulated to benefit wildlife. WeObject-based forest classification to facilitate landscape-scale conservation in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
The Mississippi Alluvial Valley is a floodplain along the southern extent of the Mississippi River extending from southern Missouri to the Gulf of Mexico. This area once encompassed nearly 10 million ha of floodplain forests, most of which has been converted to agriculture over the past two centuries. Conservation programs in this region revolve around protection of existing forest and reforestatiForest structure of oak plantations after silvicultural treatment to enhance habitat for wildlife
During the past 30 years, thousands of hectares of oak-dominated bottomland hardwood plantations have been planted on agricultural fields in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Many of these plantations now have closed canopies and sparse understories. Silvicultural treatments could create a more heterogeneous forest structure, with canopy gaps and increased understory vegetation for wildlife. LaLeaf-on canopy closure in broadleaf deciduous forests predicted during winter
Forest canopy influences light transmittance, which in turn affects tree regeneration and survival, thereby having an impact on forest composition and habitat conditions for wildlife. Because leaf area is the primary impediment to light penetration, quantitative estimates of canopy closure are normally made during summer. Studies of forest structure and wildlife habitat that occur during winter, wChange in avian abundance predicted from regional forest inventory data
An inability to predict population response to future habitat projections is a shortcoming in bird conservation planning. We sought to predict avian response to projections of future forest conditions that were developed from nationwide forest surveys within the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. To accomplish this, we evaluated the historical relationship between silvicolous bird populaEffects of wildlife forestry on abundance of breeding birds in bottomland hardwood forests of Louisiana
Effects of silvicultural activities on birds are of increasing interest because of documented national declines in breeding bird populations for some species and the potential that these declines are in part due to changes in forest habitat. Silviculturally induced disturbances have been advocated as a means to achieve suitable forest conditions for priority wildlife species in bottomland hardwood - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.