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Opportunity areas for expanding Kirtland's warbler nesting habitat in Wisconsin and Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Informally Refereed

Abstract

The Kirtland's warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) is a long-distance Neotropical migratory bird with narrow suitable nesting habitat conditions consisting of dense, young (3–20 year) jack pine (Pinus banksiana) forests growing on nutrient-poor and well-drained soils primarily within northern Lower Michigan. The Kirtland's warbler was officially delisted after more than 50 years of conservation and management activities following initial listing in 1966 under the U.S. Endangered Species Preservation Act (Byelich et al. 1976). However, Kirtland's warbler is considered a conservation-reliant species, meaning their sustained presence on the landscape requires continued management intervention. Expanding their nesting habitat is a key element in continuing conservation actions outlined by the Kirtland's Warbler Conservation Team. To this end, known characteristics of jack pine ecosystems suitable for nesting Kirtland's warblers were used to identify opportunities for expanding their nesting habitat across Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Visit the Research Data Archive to view the Geodatabase containing opportunity areas for expanding Kirtland's warbler nesting habitat in Wisconsin and Upper Peninsula of Michigan (.2 KB)

Citation

Adams, Samuel I.; Donner, Deahn M. 2021. Opportunity areas for expanding Kirtland's warbler nesting habitat in Wisconsin and Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Res. Map NRS-12. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-RMAP-12.
Citations
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/63063