Short-term changes in bird communities in response to silvicultural prescriptions

Bird communities were surveyed on the Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky, using point-counts in May and June of 1993, 1994, and 1995. Sixteen stands were surveyed among four silvicultural prescriptions, including no-harvest, two-age high-leave harvest (i.e. 7 m² residual basal area ha^-1 ), two age low-leave harvest (i.e. 3.5 m² residual basal area ha^-1) and clearcut harvest. Data were collected for 1 year preharvest (1993) and 2 years post-harvest (1994 and 1995). Pre-harvest surveys revealed no differences in abundance, richness or diversity of bird communities among stands. After harvest, all indices were higher for bird communities in harvested stands than in no-harvest stands, with no difference among clearcut or two age stands. Two forest interior species and one interior edge species were negatively affected by timber harvest in some stands, whereas Hooded warblers (Wilsonia citrina) were detected most frequently in low leave and high leave harvested stands. Three shrub scrub species were positively affected by limber harvest, The Brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) was the most commonly detected species in all harvested stands after harvest. These data indicate that a shift to two age harvest prescriptions on the Daniel Boone National Forest will not alleviate the negative short-term responses associated with fragmentation on forest interior species, and will continue to enhance conditions for species preferring early successional habitat.