"Savanna and woodland were once common in the Midwest, but land use changes have led to increasing scarcity of these early-successional forest/grassland-shrub communities "............."A new study presents some of the best evidence to date that restoration efforts in Missouri's Ozark Highlands make a difference for nesting songbirds that breed there"............"The reduction of Missouri pine savannah and woodland areas has caused birds that rely on these habitats to decline"............."Current efforts to bring these habitats back are under way and include prescribed fire and thinning tree stands"................."This two-pronged habitat improvement paradigm changed the cover available to both hunting predators and hiding prey, changing the dynamics in favor of the birds who call this habitat home--shrub-nesters like the Eastern Towhee, Prairie Warbler, and Yellow-breasted Chat as well as canopy-nesting species including the Eastern Wood-Pewee, Pine Warbler, and Summer Tanager"

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Original habitat is best, but restoration still makes a big difference

Date:

June 13, 2018

Source:

American Ornithological Society Publications Office

Melissa Roach of the University of Missouri and colleagues investigated the relationship between daily nest survival and habitat and restoration efforts. Her team studied six species comprising two groups: shrub-nesters and canopy-nesters. Eastern Towhee, Prairie Warbler, and Yellow-breasted Chat were representative of shrub-nesting species, while canopy-nesting species included Eastern Wood-Pewee, Pine Warbler, and Summer Tanager. After monitoring nests for two years, researchers found that predation was the number one cause of nest failure. Current restoration efforts (fire and tree thinning) directly influenced the ground layer of vegetation. This changed the cover available to both hunting predators and hiding prey, changing the predator-prey dynamics. Thus, restoration efforts and maintaining a varied landscape for wildlife is important for the success of these songbirds.

Lead author Melissa Roach comments, "We found strong results that should help guide land managers when it comes to important management decisions regarding the restoration and maintenance of rare or sensitive habitats. Not only were we able to show that these species are responding positively to pine woodland restoration, we provided baseline nest survival data for some understudied species. We also hope that this study increases the public's awareness and appreciation of just how important prescribed fire and tree thinning can be for wildlife."

"As the Coordinator of the Central Hardwoods Joint Venture, the regional partnership guiding bird conservation across the Ozarks and Interior Low Plateaus ecoregions, I find it gratifying to see research showing that the restoration of fire-dependent natural communities like shortleaf pine woodlands has such a positive effect on populations of bird species of conservation concern," adds Jane Fitzgerald, of the American Bird Conservancy and Central Hardwoods Joint Venture Coordinator. "While we have, in the past, focused much of our planning on increasing carrying capacity by increasing the amount of high-quality habitat available to a species, we are learning that it's just as important to evaluate how management impacts the vital rates that drive population growth. I hope we see more and more research that provides that kind of 'big picture'."

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Story Source:

Materials provided by American Ornithological Society Publications Office. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Melissa C. Roach, Frank R. Thompson, Todd Jones-Farrand. Songbird nest success is positively related to restoration of pine–oak savanna and woodland in the Ozark Highlands, Missouri, USA. The Condor, 2018; 120 (3): 543 DOI: 10.1650/CONDOR-17-189.1

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Oak savanna and woodlands are being restored through the use of prescribed fire and tree thinning and provide habitat for many birds of conservation concern. Jennifer Reidy, University of Missouri

Principal Investigators(s) :
Thompson, Frank R.
Research Station : Northern Research Station (NRS)
Year : 2014

Photo by Jennifer Reidy, U. of Missouri

Savanna and woodland were once common in the Midwest, but land use changes have led to increasing scarcity of these ecological communities.

 Land management agencies are now interested in restoring savannas and woodlands with prescribed fire and mechanical tree thinning. Savanna and woodland may provide breeding habitat for some declining bird species associated with early-successional forests or grassland-shrub communities, but there is limited knowledge of bird response to savanna restoration. 

Forest Service scientists surveyed bird abundance in restored or actively managed savanna and woodland and adjacent non-managed forest across the Missouri Ozark region. They determined bird responses to management and changes in bird densities across gradients of tree and understory density and fire frequency. Eastern towhee, field sparrow, indigo bunting, prairie warbler, white-eyed vireo, and yellow-breasted chat had greater densities in managed savanna or woodland than in non-managed forest and sites with lower tree density and canopy cover, recent or frequent fire, and higher shrub density.

  

Five woodland generalist species were also all more abundant in managed savanna and woodland but five mature forest species were not. This knowledge of species specific patterns in bird density across savanna, woodland, and forest can be used to guide landscape-scale management to benefit bird species of conservation of concern.