Experimental study of indicator species' response to habitat alteration by forest management

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Forestry remains one of the most important agents of landscape change in Canada. To be sustainable, forest management practices must maintain ecological services and enough habitat to meet the requirements of the most demanding species associated with our forests. In spite of New Brunswicks long history of forestry, surprisingly few studies have taken advantage of a before-after comparison to determine the response of plants and animals to harvesting. In this study, we will use focal species (songbirds, woodpeckers and lichens growing on trees) to assess the sustainability of harvesting practices used by UPM-Kymmene on public (Crown) forest lands of New Brunswick. To do so, we established study plots in two forest types (acadian and hemiboreal), where we surveyed birds and lichens in the 2 years before experimental harvesting. Treatments (patch cutting in acadian forest; variable retention in hemiboreal forest) are currently being applied. We will resurvey all sites in 2009 and 2010 to measure the response of each indicator species in treatment plots and controls (uncut). The focal species of birds selected use dead/dying trees for nesting, relatively large trees for foraging, and are thought to be sensitive to alterations of their habitat over the larger (landscape) scale. The two lichens have been shown to be sensitive to the opening of the forest by harvesting. Hence, we believe that these species should represent useful indicators of ecologica integrity in these forest types. We will determine whether these species can persist and reproduce successfully in treated plots relative to controls. Because the focal species occur elsewhere in North America (birds) or the northern hemisphere (lichens), our findings should have implications for sustainable forest management in other study regions.