A land manager's guide to conserving habitat for forest birds in ...

Glossary of Terms
brood parasite — a bird that lays their eggs in other birds’
nests, often removing some of the host’s eggs in the process.
The most common brood parasite in southern Ontario is the
Brown-headed Cowbird.
browse line — the height below which woody foliage and small
twigs have been more or less completely consumed by moose or
deer. In areas of high deer density, the forest appears very open
below this line as saplings and shrubs are absent.
buffer — a designated zone or strip of land of a specified width
along the border of a natural feature or natural area. Land
managers can leave buffer strips of standing trees by water
sources to protect water quality. Managers could also use buffers
with limited or no harvesting to protect special features such as
streams or stick nests.
Canadian Shield — a huge geological rock formation that covers
much of Canada, extending from the Great Lakes north to the
Arctic Ocean. The surface of the Shield has very thin soil lying on
top of the bedrock, with many bare outcrops. A typical Canadian
Shield natural area consists of pines, lakes, bogs, and rock. Vast
expanses of the Canadian Shield are boreal forest.
canker — a dead area of a branch or stem caused by fungus or
bacteria that damages the bark. Some cankers are of minor
consequence, but others will kill the tree. Cankers typically appear
as sunken patches where the bark is missing, and surrounding
these lesions are patches of growth that are callused and bumpy.
canopy — the forest cover of branches and foliage formed by
tree crowns of older trees. The canopy or overstorey forms the
uppermost level of the forest.
canopy gap — a hole or break in the forest canopy that allows
sunlight to reach the forest floor. Tree falls, wind, disease, insects, or
logging operations cause canopy gaps. These gaps provide open,
sunlit conditions that many tree species need to germinate and grow.
canopy tree — a tree that forms part of the canopy.
carbon sequestration — the removal of carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere into storage, typically in plants, soil, and the ocean.
Prevents the release of carbon to the atmosphere in order to mitigate
climate change.
carbon sink — forests and other ecosystems that absorb carbon,
and remove it from the atmosphere.
Carolinian forest — is a life zone in eastern North America
characterized primarily by a predominance of deciduous, or broadleaf
trees. It spans from the Carolinas in the United States to the
northern tip in southwestern Ontario. This region provides Canada
with its most distinctive and richest abundance of plant and animal
life. Trees such as various species of ash, birch, chestnut, hickory,
oak, and walnut grow in the Carolinian forest. The climate is mild
in winters and hot in summer.
catkin — a cluster of tiny flowers, usually fuzzy and caterpillar
shaped produced for reproduction by tree species such as birches
and willows. These unisexual flowers are typically found on
wind-pollinated trees.
cavity nest — a nest built within a natural or excavated hole
located in the heartwood of a tree. A variety of birds and
animals use cavity nests: such as woodpeckers, chickadees,
and flying squirrels.
cavity tree — a standing tree, dead or alive, that
contains one or more holes that could be used by birds and
animals for nesting, denning, roosting, resting, feeding, escape,
or hibernating.
chestnut blight — a fungal disease that attacks and kills
American chestnut trees, and has virtually eliminated this once
widespread tree.
chicots — a dead limb or tree that is a danger to workers.
circumference-limit — see diameter limit.
clear cut — an area in which all of the trees are removed in one
cut. This regenerates into an even-aged forest.
climate — is the average weather of a region over a long period of
time. This includes the temperatures, humidity, rainfall, frequency,
and intensity of storms, heat waves, and other weather events.
climate change — significant and long-term global change in
average weather patterns over time, where the build-up of
manmade gases in the atmosphere trap the suns heat, causing
changes in weather patterns on a global scale.
clutch — the nest of eggs, or the number of eggs produced or
incubated by a bird at one time.
coarse filter approach — an approach to maintaining
biodiversity that involves maintaining a diversity of structures
within stands and a diversity of ecosystems across the landscape.
The intent is to meet most of the habitat requirements of most
native species.
coarse woody debris — sound and rotting logs and stumps
that provide habitat for plants, animals, insects, and nutrients
for soil development.
community — a group of plants and animals living together in
the same region and interacting with each other.
competition — a rivalry between individuals or species, for a
limited supply of food, water, mates, habitat, light, growing
space, etc., that both individuals or species require.
composition — refers to the number of patch types and their
relative abundance in a stand or on a landscape. Can refer to the
number of individuals of each species in a community
(community composition), or the mixture of forest types in a
landscape, with respect to landscape composition.
configuration — the arrangement and shape of habitat elements
(e.g., edge, forest) relative to one another.
coniferous — a type of tree that bears cones and evergreen leaves
or needles. Often called softwoods, this group includes pines,
spruces, firs, and cedars.
continguous — touching or connected. Contiguous habitat
refers to large expanses of forest unbroken by roads or other
forms of human development.
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Glossary of Terms