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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.
Cataloging Information
- avian
- FFS - Fire and Fire Surrogate Study
- fuel reduction treatments
- management plan
- Piedmont
- thinning
- wildlife