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Population viability as a measure of forest sustainability

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Many forest managers work to balance timber production with protection of ecological processes and other nontimber values. The preservation of biodiversity is an important nontimber value. When a suite of management options is being developed, it is difficult to estimate quantitatively the impact of the various scenarios on biodiversity. We suggest population viability analysis (PVA) as a tool for estimating the quantitative impact of landscape modifications on species. Using a habitat-based approach to PVA, we examine the potential effects of five management alternatives on the chestnut-sided warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica), a managementindicator species, on the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee. This analysis shows that population size is positively correlated with disturbance. It also appears that without active management, this species, which is dependent upon early successional forests, may not find enough suitable habitats to maintain viable populations over the next 50 years. Although habitat-based PVA is demonstrated here for a single species, it has been modified to assess large biota. Habitatbased PVA is a useful tool for those who must assess the potential impact of landscape modification on biodiversity.

Parent Publication

Citation

Linder, Eric T.; Klaus, Nathan A.; Buehler, David A. 2004. Population viability as a measure of forest sustainability. In: Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–75. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. Chapter 26. p. 307-317.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/9698