Burning and mowing as habitat management for capercaillie Tetrao urogallus: An experimental test

Forest Ecology and Management

Volumn 262, Issue 3, 2011, Pages 509-521

  Hancock, Mark H ^a   Amphlett, Andy ^a   Proctor, Robert ^a   Dugan, Desmond ^a   Willi, Johanna ^a   Harvey, Peter ^b   Summers, Ron W ^a  

^a RSPB CENTRE FOR CONSERVATION SCIENCE   (United Kingdom)

^b RSPB Abernethy Forest National Nature Reserve ^*  (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Arthropods; Bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus; Grouse (Tetraonidae); Heather Calluna vulgaris; Prescribed fire; Scots pine Pinus sylvestris

Indexed keywords

ARTHROPODS; CALLUNA; GROUSE (TETRAONIDAE); PINUS SYLVESTRIS; PRESCRIBED FIRE; VACCINIUM MYRTILLUS;

BIODIVERSITY; BIOMASS; DIES; ECOSYSTEMS; FIRES; MANAGEMENT; MANAGERS; VEGETATION;

FORESTRY;

ABUNDANCE; BIODIVERSITY; BIOMASS; CONIFEROUS FOREST; CONIFEROUS TREE; EXPERIMENTAL STUDY; FIRE BEHAVIOR; HABITAT CONSERVATION; HABITAT MANAGEMENT; INSECT; MOWING; POPULATION STRUCTURE; POULTRY; PRESCRIBED BURNING;

UNITED KINGDOM;

ARANEAE; ARTHROPODA; CALLUNA; CALLUNA VULGARIS; PINUS SYLVESTRIS; TETRAO UROGALLUS; TETRAONIDAE; VACCINIUM MYRTILLUS;

EID: 79958034613     PISSN: 03781127     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2011.04.019     Document Type: Article

References (78)

1. Agee J.K. Fire and pine ecosystems. Ecology and Biogeography of Pinus 1998, 193-218. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. D.M. Richardson (Ed.).
2. Alley J.C., Berben P.H., Dugdalef J.S., Fitzgerald B.M., Knightbridge P.I., Meads M.J., Webster R.A. Responses of litter-dwelling arthropods and house mice to beech seeding in the Orongorongo Valley, New Zealand. J. Roy. Soc. New Zealand 2001, 31:425-452.
3. Angelstam P.K. Maintaining and restoring biodiversity in European boreal forests by developing natural disturbance regimes. J. Veg. Sci. 1998, 9:593-602.
4. Angelstam P.K., Boutin S., Schmiegelow F., Villard M.-A., Drapeau P., Host G., Innes J., Isachenko G., Kuuluvainen T., Monkkonen M., Niemela J., Niemi G., Roberge J.-M., Spence J., Stone D. Targets for forest biodiversity conservation - a rationale for macroecological research and adaptive management. Ecol. Bull. 2004, 51:487-509.
5. Angelstam, P.K., Storch, I., 2000. Maintaining the Caledonian pine forest and biodiversity at Abernethy. Report to RSPB, obtainable from authors.
6. Atlegrim O., Sjöberg K. Lepidoptera larvae as food for Capercaillie chicks (Tetrao urogallus): a field experiment. Scand. J. For. Res. 1995, 10:278-283.
7. Attiwill P.M. The disturbance of forest ecosystems: the ecological basis for conservative management. For. Ecol. Manag. 1994, 63:247-300.
8. Baines D., Moss R., Dugan D. Capercaillie breeding success in relation to forest habitat and predator abundance. J. Appl. Ecol. 2004, 41:59-71.
9. Beales P.A., Giltrap P.M., Webb K.M., Ozolina A. A further threat to UK heathland bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) by Phytophthora pseudosyringae. J. Plant Pathol. 2010, 59(2):406.
10. Binkley D. Key points in the design of forest experiments. For. Ecol. Manag. 2008, 255:2022-2023.
11. Brown R., Ferguson J., Lawrence M., Lees D. Tracks and Signs of Birds of Britain and Europe: an Identification Guide 1987, Christopher Helm, London.
12. Bruce M., Servant G. Fire and pinewood ecology in Scotland: a summary of recent research at Glen Tanar Estate. Aberdeenshire. Scot. For. 2003, 57:33-38.
13. Burnham K.P., Anderson D.R. Model Selection and Multimodel Inference 2002, Springer, New York.
14. Byram G.M. Combustion of forest fuels. Forest Fire: Control and Use 1959, 61-89. MacGraw-Hill, New York. K.P. Davis (Ed.).
15. Cameron E.J.F. Regeneration of existing pinewoods. Our Pinewoods Heritage 1995, 155-164. Forestry Commission, RSPB & Scottish Natural Heritage, Inverness. J.R. Aldhous (Ed.).
16. Carlisle A., Brown A.H.F. Biological flora of the British Isles: Pinus sylvestris L. J. Ecol. 1968, 56:269-307.
17. Cotton D.E., Hale W.H.G. Cutting as an alternative to burning in the management of Calluna vulgaris moorland: results of an experimental field trial. J. Environ. Manag. 1994, 40:155-159.
18. Crawford J.A., Olsen R.A., West N.E., Mosley J.C., Schroeder M.A., Whitson T.D., Miller R.F., Gregg M.A., Boyd C.S. Ecology and management of sage-grouse and sage-grouse habitat. J. Range Manag. 2004, 57:2-19.
19. Davies G.M., Hamilton A., Smith A., Legg C.J. Using visual obstruction to estimate heathland fuel load and structure. Int. J. Wildland Fire 2008, 17:380-389.
20. Dugan D. Field layer management trials at Abernethy Forest Reserve: an update. Scot. For. 2004, 58:17-19.
21. Fazey I., Fischer J., Lindenmayer D.B. What do conservation biologists publish?. Biol. Conserv. 2005, 124:63-73.
22. Ganihar S.R. Biomass estimates of terrestrial arthropods based on body length. J. Biosci. Bangalore 1997, 22(2):219-224.
23. Gimingham C.H. Ecology of Heathlands 1972, Chapman and Hall, London.
24. Gjerde I. Determination of sex in Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus by means of winter dropping size. Fauna Nor. Ser. C Cinclus 1990, 13:31-32.
25. Gowing G., Recher H.F. Length-weight relationships for invertebrates from forests in south-eastern New South Wales. Aust. J. Ecol. 1984, 9:5-8.
26. Granström A., Schimmel J. Heat effects on seeds and rhizomes of a selection of boreal forest plants and potential reaction to fire. Oecology 1993, 94:307-313.
27. Grime J.P. Benefits of plant diversity to ecosystems: immediate, filter and founder effects. J. Ecol. 1998, 86:902-910.
28. Hancock M.H. An exceptional Calluna vulgaris die-back event, Abernethy Forest, Scottish Highlands. Plant Ecol. Divers. 2008, 1:89-104.
29. Hancock M.H., Egan S., Summers R.W., Cowie N., Amphlett A., Rao S., Hamilton A. The effect of experimental prescribed fire on the establishment of Scots pine Pinus sylvestris seedlings on heather Calluna vulgaris moorland. For. Ecol. Manag. 2005, 212:199-213.
30. Hancock M.H., Summers R.W., Amphlett A., Willi J. Testing prescribed fire as a tool to promote Scots pine Pinus sylvestris regeneration. Eur. J. For. Res. 2009, 128:319-333.
31. Hancock M.H., Summers R.W., Amphlett A., Willi J., Servant G., Hamilton A. Using cattle for conservation objectives in a Scots pine Pinus sylvestris forest: results of two trials. Eur. J. For. Res. 2010, 129:299-312.
32. Hautala H., Tolvanen A., Nuortila C. Regeneration strategies of dominant boreal forest dwarf shurbs in response to selective removal of understorey layers. J. Veg. Sci. 2001, 12:503-510.
33. Hobbs R.J., Gimingham C.H. Studies on fire in Scottish heathland communities: II. Post-fire vegetation development. J. Ecol. 1984, 72:223-240.
34. Hódar J. The use of regression equations for estimation of arthropod biomass in ecological studies. Acta Ecologica 1996, 17(5):421-433.
35. Hurlbert S.J. Pseudoreplication and the design of ecological field experiments. Ecol. Monogr. 1984, 54:187-211.
36. Jones B.C., Kleitch J.L., Harper C.A., Buehler D.A. Ruffed grouse brood habitat use in mixed hardwood forest: implications for forest management in the Appalachians. For. Ecol. Manag. 2008, 225:3580-3588.
37. Kastdalen L., Wegge P. Animal food in Capercaillie and Black Grouse chicks in south east Norway - a preliminary report. Proc. Int. Grouse Symp. 1985, 3:499-513.
38. Lindenmayer D.B., Franklin J.F., Fischer J. General management principles and a checklist of strategies to guide forest biodiversity conservation. Biol. Conserv. 2002, 131:433-445.
39. Littell R.C., Milliken G.A., Stroup W.W., Wolfinger R.D. SAS System for Mixed Models 1996, SAS Institute, Cary.
40. MacDonald A. Cutting of heather as an alternative to muirburn. Scottish Natural Heritage Information and Advice Note 58 1996, SNH, Battleby.
41. Marti C., Picozzi N. Tetrao urogallus - capercaillie. The EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds 1997, 204-205. Poyser, London. W.J.M. Hagemeijer, M.J. Blair (Eds.).
42. Mason W.L., Hampson A., Edwards C. Managing the Pinewoods of Scotland 2004, Forestry Commission, Edinburgh.
43. Mitchell R.J., Auld M.H.D., Hughes J.M., Marrs R.H. Estimates of nutrient removal during heathland restoration on successional sites in Dorset, southern England. Biol. Conserv. 2000, 95:233-246.
44. Moss R. A second exinction of capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) in Scotland?. Biol. Conserv. 2001, 101:255-257.
45. Moss R., Picozzi N., Summers R.W., Baines D. Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus - demography of a declining population. Ibis 2000, 142:259-267.
46. Niklasson M., Granström A. Numbers and sizes of fires: long-term spatially explicit fire history in a Swedish boreal landscape. Ecology 2000, 81:1484-1499.
47. Nisbet G., Amphlett A. Abernethy Forest Reserve, Forest Field Layer Mapping Project 2003, RSPB, Abernethy.
48. Pakkala T., Pellikka J., Linden H. Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus - a good candidate for an umbrella species in taiga forests. Wildl. Biol. 2003, 9:309-316.
49. Parlane S., Summers R.W., Cowie N.R., van Gardingen P.R. Management proposals for bilberry in Scots pine woodland. For. Ecol. Manag. 2006, 222:272-278.
50. Peterken G.F. Natural Woodland 1996, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
51. Picozzi N., Moss R., Kortland K. Diet and survival of Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus chicks in Scotland. Wildl. Biol. 1999, 5:11-23.
52. Pullin A.S., Knight T.M., Stone D.A., Charman K. Do conservation managers use scientific evidence to support their decision making?. Biol. Conserv. 2004, 119:245-252.
53. Rajala, P., 1959. On the food habits of capercaillie juveniles; preliminary report [In Finnish]. Suomen Riista 13, 143-155.
54. British Plant Communities, vol. I. Woodlands and Scrub 1991, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. J.S. Rodwell (Ed.).
55. Rogers R.L., Buschbom R.L., Watson C.R. Length-weight relationships of shrub-steppe invertebrates. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 1977, 70:51-53.
56. Saint-Germain M., Buddle C.M., Larrivée M., Mercado A., Motchula T., Reichert E., Sackett T.E., Sylvain Z., Webb A. Should biomass be considered more frequently as a currency in terrestrial arthropod community analyses?. J. Appl. Ecol. 2007, 44:330-339.
57. Sample B.E., Cooper R.J., Greer R.D., Whitmore R.C. Estimation of insect biomass by length and width. Am. Midl. Naturalist 1993, 129:234-240.
58. SAS Inst. SAS/STAT Users' Guide, Version 8 2000, SAS Institute, Cary.
59. Schimmel J., Granström A. Fire severity and vegetation response in the boreal Swedish forest. Ecology 1996, 77:1436-1450.
60. Southwood T.R.E., Henderson P.A. Ecological Methods 2000, Blackwell, Oxford.
61. Spidsø T.K., Stuen O.H. Food selection by Capercaillie chicks in southern Norway. Can. J. Zool. 1988, 66:279-283.
62. Sprugel D.G. Correcting for bias in log-transformed allometric equations. Ecology 1983, 64:209-210.
63. Storch I. Tetrao urogallus Capercaillie. BWP Update 2001, 3(1):1-24.
64. Summers R.W. Use of pine snags by birds in different stand types of Scots pine Pinus sylvestris. Bird Study 2004, 51:212-221.
65. Summers R.W., Proctor R., Thornton M., Avey G. Habitat selection and diet of the Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus in Abernethy Forest, Strathspey, Scotland. Bird Study 2004, 51:58-68.
66. Summers R.W., Wilkinson N.I., Wilson E.R. Age structure and history of stand types of Pinus sylvestris in Abernethy Forest. Scotland. Scand. J. For. Res. 2008, 23:28-37.
67. Summers R.W., Dugan D., Proctor R. Numbers and breeding success of Capercaillies Tetrao urogallus and Black Grouse T. Tetrix at Abernethy Forest, Scotland. Bird Study 2010, 57:437-446.
68. Suter W., Graf R.F., Hess R. Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus and avian species diversity: testing the umbrella species concept. Conserv. Biol. 2002, 16:778-788.
69. Sutherland W.J. Predicting the ecological consequences of environmental change: a review of methods. J. Appl. Ecol. 2006, 43:599-616.
70. Swanson F.J., Franklin J.F. New forestry principles from ecosystem analysis of Pacific north-west forests. Ecol. Appl. 1992, 2:262-274.
71. Taylor, S., 1995. Management Plan: Abernethy Forest Reserve. RSPB Abernethy.
72. Walters C.J. Adaptive Management of Renewable Resources 1986, Mc-Graw-Hill, New York.
73. Walters, C.J., 1997. Challenges in adaptive management of riparian and coastal ecosystems. Conserv. Ecol. 1(2), Art. 1.
74. Wardle D.A., Zackrisson O. Effects of species and functional group loss on island ecosystem properties. Nature 2005, 435:806-810.
75. Watson A., Moss R. Grouse 2008, HarperCollins, London.
76. Watson A., Miller G.R., Green F.W.H. Winter browning of heather Calluna vulgaris and other moorland plants. Trans. Bot. Soc. Edinburgh 1966, 40:195-203.
77. Welch D., Scott D., Moss R., Bayfield N.G. Ecology of Blaeberry and its management on British moorlands 1994, ITE, Grange-over-Sands.
78. Wohlgemuth T., Burgi M., Scheidegger C., Schutz M. Dominance reduction of species through disturbance - a proposed management principle for central European forests. For. Ecol. Manag. 2002, 166:1-15.