Bird Communities in Fragmented, Non-Native Pine Plantations in the Oak Openings Region of Northwest Ohio

Comprehensive surveys, while preferred, are not always feasible due to time, logistical, and funding constraints. However, limited surveys of focal taxa, such as birds, coupled with vegetation surveys, can provide critical information to guide land management. In the 1930s non-native conifers were planted in the Oak Openings Region of northwestern Ohio, a biodiversity hotspot. The stands are declining, and management is needed, but restoration to native habitat is time consuming and expensive. Our research utilized an avian perspective of ecological function of introduced pine plantations versus native remnants to guide management. We surveyed bird activity May through July 2020 with point-counts in nine sites (1.3-2.3 ha) with three each of white pine, red pine, and oak forest sites. At each site, we estimated bird richness, abundance, and diversity, as well as structural characteristics (e.g., canopy cover), composition (e.g., vegetation types), and landscape context (e.g., landcover). Superficially, the pine sites appear to be beneficial as pine habitat for breeding birds, with high Simpson’s indices (up to 0.89) and high species richness compared to oak sites. However, our results reveal that the pines are not truly functioning as pine habitat for birds based on the limited occurrence of pine specialist species, proportion of generalists to pine specialists, and landscape context. Simple measures of diversity with no consideration as to species identity and without the environmental context fail to provide reliable measures of ecological value. Instead, we recommend selective sampling and consideration of landscape context, vegetation structure, and species classification to guide management.