Study

Short-term response of land birds to ponderosa pine restoration

  • Published source details Gaines W.L., Haggard M., Lehmkuhl J.F., Lyons A.L. & Harrod R.J. (2007) Short-term response of land birds to ponderosa pine restoration. Restoration Ecology, 15, 670-678.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Thin trees within forests

Action Link
Bird Conservation

Use prescribed burning on pine forests

Action Link
Bird Conservation
  1. Thin trees within forests

    A replicated, randomised, controlled study in 1998-2005 in 12 ponderosa pine stands (15-20 ha) in the North Cascade Range, Washington, USA (Gaines et al. 2007), found that there were no differences in bird densities between four stands with low-retention thinning and prescribed burning and those with high retention thinning and burning (averages of 13 birds/ha for both). This study is described in detail in ‘Use prescribed burning’.

     

  2. Use prescribed burning on pine forests

    A replicated, randomised, controlled study in 1998-2005 in 12 ponderosa pine stands (15-20 ha) in the North Cascade Range, Washington, USA (Gaines et al. 2007), found that there was a trend towards higher bird density in restored stands, compared to controls (13 birds/ha in eight restored stands vs. 10 in four controls). Management consisted of thinning and understorey burning. Thinning took place in 1998-1999, with burns in spring 2000 and 2004. Breeding birds were censused in 2001 and 2005. White-headed woodpecker Picoides albolarvatus and western bluebird Sialia mexicana, Cassin’s finch Carpodacus casinii and yellow-rumped warbler Dendroica coronata had higher densities in treated stands. Mountain chickadee Poecile gambeli, western tanager Piranga ludoviciana and red-breasted nuthatch Sitta canadensis were more common in control stands.

     

Output references
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