Abstract
Timber harvest has been implicated as a causative factor in the decline of amphibian populations and diversity in many areas of the world. The adoption of best management practices (BMPs) is intended to minimize the impacts of timber harvest on the biotic community, including amphibians and their habitat requirements. Herein, we synthesize the current scientific literature on the impact and effectiveness of BMPs in preventing population declines of stream-breeding salamanders and associated habitat loss in the eastern deciduous forests of North America. We frequently found sedimentation to be a suspected cause of population declines; many studies also described a correlation between basal area and salamander abundances. In addition to summarizing research, we offer recommendations to improve the efficacy and implementation of BMPs in the central and eastern United States. We also make suggestions for further research, such as increased testing of BMP methods and an increase in long-term studies.
Parent Publication
Citation
Maigret, Thomas A.; Cox, John J. 2014. A review of best management practices and the mitigation of stream-breeding salamanders in the eastern deciduous forest. In: Groninger, John W.; Holzmueller, Eric J.; Nielsen, Clayton K.; Dey, Daniel C., eds. Proceedings, 19th Central Hardwood Forest Conference; 2014 March 10-12; Carbondale, IL. General Technical Report NRS-P-142. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 92-101.
