Relationships between landscape composition, including forest fragmentation, and avian productivity in the inland West

We currently lack information on the influence of forest fragmentation on avian population viability in western landscapes. In particular, we do not know whether fragmentation of forest by agriculture and silviculture affects bird populations in similar ways to those in central and eastern regions of the U.S. To this end, in 1997, SEI-Idaho initiated three concurrent regional studies (west-central Idaho, northern Idaho, and western Montana) with the following goals: (1) To determine whether there are avian productivity problems in forests of the inland West; (2) To address the role of forest fragmentation, proximity to agriculture, and degree of silviculture on avian population viability; and (3) Where it occurs, to identify the mechanisms responsible for nest failure. Our study is therefore best described as a regional assessment of the effects of landscape composition on avian reproductive success. The three landscape types studied were: (1) agriculturally influenced managed forest landscapes (landscapes with both agricultural and silvicultural components); (2) silviculturally managed forest landscapes (landscapes with silvicultural components only); and (3) unmanaged forest landscapes (landscapes with neither agricultural nor silvicultural components). Throughout the three-year study period, we found and monitored 1,251 nests in west-central Idaho, 913 nests in northern Idaho, and 590 nests in western Montana, for a total of 2,754 nests of more than 75 bird species. In addition to the numerous publications anticipated from this study, additional region-specific papers are in the works for two Master of Science students who recently graduated for Boise State University (Kevin Warner) and the University of Idaho (Cynthia Friers) and who have been partially funded under this project. Partners include the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Boise Cascade Corporation, Potlatch Corporation, Plum Creek Timber Company, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, Boise State University, and the University of Idaho.

Habitat Restoration
Effects of Wildfire
Birds and Forestry
Landscape Composition
Silviculture and Birds

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