Forest Type, Timber Size Class, and New England Breeding Birds

Abstract

Breeding birds in pole and mature sawtimber stands of 6 forest cover types were grouped by association with timber size class, forest cover type, interactions of timber size and type, and key habitat components that occur irrespective of stand or forest type. Thirty bird species showed different distributions by forest cover type, 3 species' distributions differed by timber size class, and 13 species' distributions were functions of the interaction of cover type and size class. Breeding birds were grouped as stand obligates, forest type obligates, or species that prefer >1 forest type regardless of stand condition, prefer 1 stand condition, select a specific stand condition-forest type interaction, or are habitat generalists. The results are useful when planning the mix of types or distribution of timber size classes in the Northeast. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 51(1):212-217 Habitat selection by breeding forest birds is largely a function of habitat (Anderson and Shugart 1974, Crawford et al. 1981). The general term structure contains elements of class, stocking, and forest type. In many studies of forest bird habitat associations, stand age, plant species composition, and other within-stand features are variously used to describe forest structure. Foresters and other land managers, however, usually use the term condition to describe timber size class and stocking and composition to describe the relative proportions of tree species that the stand contains. Forest or cover type is generally understood as a categorization by dominant tree species. Knowledge of which bird species respond primarily to either class or cover type is useful to land managers because they manage size distribution or class by forest type, and, at least on public lands, need to state the effects of forest management practices on other resources, especially wildlife. This study distinguished groups of birds associated with class from those with distributions associated with cover type. We thank J. W. Lanier and J. E. McGowan of the White Mtn. Natl. For. (WMNF) for help with stand selection and facilities; L. N. Metcalf, J. J. Green, D. L. Fischer, and C. A. Carroll for help with bird censuses; J. M. Wentworth and D. D. Rudis for help with stand measurements; and D. E. Capen, S. H. Anderson, F. B. Samson, W. M. Healy, and R. G. Hooper for their thoughtful reviews. M. A. Sheremeta typed the manuscript.