Forestry & Society
Wildlife Habitat
HORT RGSC 302
J.G. Mexal
Spring 2008
What are the benefits??
Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Rediscovered in Big Woods of AR (Apr/05)
Singer Tract, LA, 1935. Photo credit: David Allen Colorized version of version
Monarch Butterfly
Neotropical Parrots
Wildlife in the Forest/Ciencia Forestal
SUMATRA
BORNEO(P. p. pygmaeus)
(P. p. abelii)
http://www.cia.gov/nic/PDF_GIF_confreports/asiaUSoutlook/southeast_asia_map.gif
ORANGUTAN (Pongo pygmaeus)
Forestry & SocietyWildlife Habitat/Guanaco in Chile
Forestry & SocietyWildlife Habitat
Jaguars in the Chiracahuas
Wildlife Corridors
Forestry & Society
Wildlife Habitat/U.Mass. CES 1993
Florida Sand Pine Forests
“The endangered bird lives in young sand pines that grow low to the ground, trees that generally are less than 15 years old.”
“a mature sand pine forest, you are not going to find successful gopher tortoise burrows….”
Forestry & Society
Wildlife Habitat• Concerns:
– Big animals• deer, elk, turkey, bear, cougar• thermal cover, hiding cover, food, corridors (forest
fragmentation
– Little animals• fish, prey (mice, etc), insects
– Threatened & Endangered Species• western goshawk, red cockaded woodpecker, spotted owl
(Mexican & northern), wolf
Meadow Conversion & Grazing
• Conifer invasion into meadow coincided with cessation of sheep grazing in Three Sisters Wilderness
• Stand replacement fires can require centuries to convert back to forests
• Invasion essentially complete after 30 yrs or so in both cases
Avg age ≈90yrs
≈50yrs
≈20yrs
Bird response to prescribed fireScience Findings PNW Station May’08
Species Response
Black-backed woodpecker +++
American robin +++
Western bluebird ++
White breasted nuthatch +
Hairy woodpecker +
Western wood pewee ½+
Gray flycatcher ½+
Pine siskin -
Swainson’s thrush -
Ruby-crowned kinglet -
Cassin’s vireo -
Clark’s nutcracker --
Forestry & SocietyWildlife Habitat/Harvesting decreases standing deadwood (Science Findings 42:3/02)
0
4
8
12
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W-conifer Mixedconifer
SW mixedconifer
E mixedconifer
Oak/Doug-fir
E pond.pine
LPP Juniper
UnharvestedHarvested
Forest Type
Snags (>20”)/ac
Red-cockaded Woodpecker PreyWild. Soc. Bull. 31:131:’02
Number/tree Biomass (mg/tree)
Eastern Wild Turkey
• Habitat: A mixture of mature hardwood forests and open fields. Understory vegetation.Food: Acorns and other mast (hard fruit), fleshy fruits, corn, a variety of seeds, and invertebrates. Young turkeys (particularly) feed heavily on insects.
• Interesting facts: Turkeys frequently can be seen foraging in the fields that border forestland.
• Connecticut Dept. of Environmental Protection
Nature Photography by Gary D.TonhouseWildlife Gallery 1997-2003
Northern Bobwhite Quail
• Habitat-weedy/brushy-found in roadsides & successional areas-non-migrant (300 ac)-woodlands/crop fields-endangered
• Food: corn, seeds, insects
Source: All Things Quail
Forestry & SocietyWildlife Habitat/clearcuts have food!
y = 18.2x + 18.6
R2 = 0.48
0
30
60
90
120
150
Clearcut Shelterwood Single-tree Unharvested Group
Oak/Hickory (tpa)Hard Mast Index
71%22%
17%
10%
17%
% of total BA
Forestry & SocietyWildlife Habitat/clearcuts have food!
0
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UnharvestedSingle-tree
GroupShelterwood
Clearcut
Yr-1Yr-3Yr-5
Harvest method
Soft mast cover (%)Ouachita NF, AR/OK
Wildlife Soc. Bull. 27:915:99
Forestry & SocietyWildlife Habitat/clearcuts have food!
0
20
40
60
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UnharvestedSingle-tree
GroupShelterwood
Clearcut
Yr-1Yr-3Yr-5
Harvest method
Soft mast production (kg/ha)Ouachita NF, AR/OK
Wildlife Soc. Bull. 27:915:99
A
B
C
Forestry & SocietyWildlife Habitat/clearcuts have food!
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20
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0 5 10 15 20 25
Yr-1Yr-3Yr-5
Pine BA (m2/ha)
Soft mast production (kg/ha)Ouachita NF, AR/OK
Wildlife Soc. Bull. 27:915:99
ClearcutGroupShelterwoodSingle-treeUnharvested
Forestry & SocietyWildlife Habitat/soft mast species
• muscadine grapes• blueberries• blackberries• wild roses• sumac• American beautyberry• hackberry• dogwood
• plums• cherries• mulberry• pokeberry• holly• sassafras• green briers• poison ivy
Wildlife Soc. Bull. 27:915:99
Flying Squirrel Population (food for spotted owl) Science Findings 80/ Feb’06
Squirrel/ha
Biomass (kg/ha)
Squirrel Survival (%)
Forestry & Society
Wildlife Habitat/Small mammals vs patch size/ SEAFWA Proc. 1997
0
1
2
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4
P. polin
otus
P. gossypinus
S. hisp
idus
R. humilu
s
All species
<6 ha10-15 ha>25 ha
Individuals captures/100 nights
Forestry & Society
Wildlife Habitat/Small mammals vs patch size/ SEAFWA Proc. 1997
Clearcutsize
Speciesrichness
Shannon’sdiversityindex (H’)
Variance ofH’
Small(<6 ha)
1 0.00 0.00
Medium(10-15 ha)
3 1.08 0.21
Large(>25 ha)
6 1.45 0.23
Forestry & Society
Wildlife Habitat/Small mammals vs patch size/ SEAFWA Proc. 1997
• 542 captures (307 individuals)– Peromyscus polionotus (44%) [field mice]– Sigmodon hispidus (36%) [cotton
rats]– Peromyscus gossypinus (16%)– Reithrodontomys humilus (2%)– Neotoma floridana (1% [wood rats]– Mus musculus (0.3%)
White-tailed Deer
• The white-tailed deer is an herbivore or plant eater. It follows well-used trails to its feeding areas.
• It eats green plants in the spring and summer. In the fall, it eats corn, acorns and other nuts. In the winter, it eats the buds and twigs of woody plants.If deer have enough food, water, shelter, population can grow quickly.
• Live in wooded areasNew Hampshire Public Television
Frizzell 2003 – Valley Forge
Forestry & SocietyWildlife Habitat/clearcuts have food!
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600
700
Pre-logging
1 2 3 4 5
Clearcut (wet)Clearcut (dry)Uncut
Years after Logging
Ungulate Fecal Groups (no/ha)
Forestry & SocietyWildlife Habitat/Elk like clearcuts!
Science Findings 22/feb2000 PNW Res. Stn.
Elk Body Weight Change (%)- OR
Forestry & SocietyWildlife Habitat/review questions
• Why are forest gaps good for wildlife?
• Why are forest gaps bad for wildlife?
• What kinds of trees do wildlife need?
• How do you keep the ‘critters’ and the ‘loggers’ happy?Pileated woodpecker