Snag Densities in Managed Stands of the South Carolina Coastal Plain

Abstract

Abstract The availability of pine and hardwood snags was determined in managed pine and nonpine stands on the Francis Marion National Forest in the Coastal Plain of South Carolina. An estimate was made of snags required for nesting by avian cavity nesters indigenous to the region and of the density of cavity nesters currently provided for on the forest. Avian species that use snags 5 to 9 in. d.b.h. were apparently provided with more than 100 percent of the minimum number of suitable-size snags for average bird populations in the nonpine stands, which encompassed about 30 percent of the area. In pine stands, by contrast, there were enough snags of this size for only 20 percent of the average avian populations. For species using larger snags (≥10 in. d.b.h.), nonpine stands provided enough for approximately 27 percent of average bird populations, while pine stands provided snags for only about 6 percent of average population densities.