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1 Key Findings

· Changes in land use, particularly reductions in the use of fire, have altered the structure and composition of southern forests and associated wildlife communities.

· Retaining structural elements, such as a few mature trees and snags, in young, even-aged stands provides many benefits for a variety of wildlife species.

· Early successional stands promote diversity in plant and animal communities, but many of the beneficial aspects are negated when the canopies of these stands close.

· Stands receiving silvicultural treatments that promote complex forest canopies are heavily utilized by a variety of bird species.

· A shift in intermediate stand treatments from prescribed fire to herbicides has lead to widespread changes in forest structure.