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Type: Conference Proceedings
Author(s): Laura A. Zebehazy; J. Drew Lanham; Thomas A. Waldrop
Editor(s): Kristina F. Connor
Publication Date: 2004

We examined avian species and assemblage responses to prescribed burns and thinning in a southeasternPiedmont pine and mixed pine-hardwood forest as part of the National Fire and Fire Surrogate Study (NFFS) examining the effects of fuel reduction on forest health. Point counts conducted during the non-breeding and breeding seasons of 2000-2002 showed that winter bird species abundance and evenness did not change significantly between pre- and post-treatmentwinter surveys. However, bird species richness increased significantly between years. No differences were found between treatments for species abundance, richness, or evenness during the breeding season. However, foliage-gleaning and canopy-nestingbreeding species were detected significantly more often in thinned than burned or control sites. Nest searches and monitoring found 79 nests (thin, n = 30; burn, n = 27; control, n = 22) with a 49-percent failure rate over the 2-year period. Most of these failures (41 percent) occurred in thinned stands.

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Citation: Zebehazy, Laura A.; Lanham, J. Drew; Waldrop, Thomas A. 2004. Seasonal avifauna responses to fuel reduction treatments in the Upper Piedmont of South Carolina: results from phase 1 of the National Fire and Fire Surrogate Study. Pages 82-86. In: Connor, Kristina F. (editor). Proceedings of the 12th Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference, February 24-28, 2003, Biloxi, MS. General Technical Report SRS-GTR-71. Asheville, NC: USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station.

Cataloging Information

Topics:
Regions:
Keywords:
  • avian
  • FFS - Fire and Fire Surrogate Study
  • fuel reduction treatments
  • management plan
  • Piedmont
  • thinning
  • wildlife
Record Last Modified:
Record Maintained By: FRAMES Staff (https://www.frames.gov/contact)
FRAMES Record Number: 160