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Dry creek long-term watershed study: the effects of harvesting in streamside management zones and adjacent uplands of riparian corridors on avian communities in the Coastal Plain of Georgia

Informally Refereed

Abstract

We evaluated the effects of Best Management Practices (BMPs) harvesting on avian communities associated with headwater streams in the Georgia Coastal Plain. Two watersheds served as references, with no timber harvesting, and two treatment watersheds were clearcut with retention of Streamside Management Zones (SMZs) according to Georgia BMPs for forestry. Bird communities were surveyed in each watershed before and after harvest by variable-distance transect surveys. The bird community surveyed in each watershed was divided into foraging, nesting, and disturbance guilds. A Partners In Flight (PIF) composite score-based index was used to calculate the conservation value (CV) of those communities. Among variables measured, disturbance guilds showed the most apparent response to harvesting. This response, considered in the context of the CV index response, indicated that there was some changeover from high priority disturbance-sensitive species to moderate/high priority disturbance-tolerant species resulting from harvesting. We recommend the use of PIF scores and associated CV indexes along with other bird community variables in investigations of the value of SMZs for songbirds.

Parent Publication

Citation

Grooms, Merideth P.; Lanham, J. Drew; Wigley, T. Bently. 2006. Dry creek long-term watershed study: the effects of harvesting in streamside management zones and adjacent uplands of riparian corridors on avian communities in the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-92. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. pp. 21-25
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/23260