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Constructing Artifical Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Cavities

Informally Refereed

Abstract

A complete guide is provided for excavating red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) cavities. A hole 4 inches wide by 10 inches high by 6 inches deep is cut from a live pine(Pinusspp.) tree with a chainsaw, and a prefabricated cavity is inserted. Cavities can be excavated in pines of any age, but the diameter of the tree at the height of insertion must be greater than 15 inches. Over 300 cavities were inserted on the Francis Marion National Forest(n=280) and the Savannah River Site (n=28) in South Carolina. Over 60 percent of the cavities on the Francis Marion are now being used for nesting or roosting. None of the trees have broken at cavity height.

Keywords

Cavity excavation, cavity inserts, Hurricane Hugo, Picoides borealis, roost.

Citation

Allen, David H. 1991. Constructing Artifical Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Cavities. Gen. Tech. Rep. SE-73. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station. 19 p.
Citations
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/955