Vegetation changes from private forestland management can increase species richness and abundance

Conservation efforts on private lands are important for biodiversity conservation. On private lands in South Carolina, forestry management practices (prescribed burning, thinning, herbicide application) are used to improve upland pine habitat for wildlife and timber harvest and are incentivized through United States Department of Agriculture Farm Bill cost-share programs. Because many forest-dependent bird species have habitat requirements created primarily through forest management, data are needed on the effectiveness of these management activities. We studied privately-owned loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) stands in the South Carolina Piedmont region. Our objective was to understand how management practices influence avian species richness and abundance at local (forest stand) and landscape levels in relatively small stands (average ~28 hectares). We surveyed 49 forest stands during two bird breeding seasons with traditional point counts and vegetation surveys. We evaluated the effects o...私有土地上的保护工作对生物多样性保护而言至关重要。在美国南卡罗来纳州的私有林地中，林业管理措施（计划火烧（prescribed burning）、疏伐、除草剂施用）被用于改善山地松类的野生动物栖息地并兼顾木材采伐，且可通过美国农业部（United States Department of Agriculture）农业法案成本分担项目获得激励支持。鉴于多数依赖森林的鸟类物种的栖息地需求主要由森林管理活动塑造，因此亟需相关数据以评估此类管理措施的实施成效。本研究针对南卡罗来纳州皮埃蒙特地区的私有火炬松（Pinus taeda）林分展开。本研究的核心目标为探明：在平均面积约28公顷的小型林分中，林业管理措施如何从林分（局域）与景观两个尺度，对鸟类物种丰富度与种群丰度产生影响。本研究在两个鸟类繁殖季期间，采用传统样点计数法与植被调查法对49处林分开展了野外调查。我们评估了其影响...