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

conk — hard bracket or shelf fungi found on declining or dead
trees. These resemble mushrooms and invade through tree
wounds, causing the wood to rot. Conks vary in size, colour, and
tree location.
connectivity — the degree to which habitat patches are linked
across the landscape. A landscape feature that facilitates the
movement of biota between blocks of habitat, such as hedgerows
or riparian areas, will increase connectivity.
conservation — preservation and careful management of the
environment and of natural resources to prevent exploitation,
destruction, and loss of that feature over time.
coppice growth — a method of regeneration in which a tree or
shrub sprouts many small shoots from a cut stump.
corridor — linear and narrow stretches of land that connect
distinct patches on the landscape. Corridors provide connectivity
and permit the movement of plant and animal species between
what would otherwise be isolated patches.
critical habitat — the specific areas or habitat features essential
to the survival of a species. Often refers to the conservation of
particular natural areas or habitat features for species at risk.
cup nest — a type of bird nest that is built or woven in a cup
shape from plant materials (grasses, roots, stalks, and/or sticks),
hair, mud, and feathers. Most songbirds, such as robins and
grosbeaks, construct this type of nest on the ground or in trees,
shrubs, or herbaceous plants.
cutting cycle — under the selection system this is the planned
interval between major partial harvests in a stand, often 15–20
years in southern Ontario forests.
deciduous — trees and shrubs that loose their leaves each fall.
declining tree — a tree that exhibits signs of poor health, such as
a reduced canopy, dead limbs, or evidence of disease.
degraded woodland — any forest with reduced ecological
function, productivity, or diversity. Often refers to woodlands
subjected to a history of poor management (over-harvesting, high
grading, diameter-limit, high intensity, or high frequency harvests)
such that large, healthy, fast growing trees are typically absent.
desiccation — process of being thoroughly dried out.
diameter at breast height (dbh) — a measure of the diameter of
a tree at 1.3 metres above the ground.
diameter class (size class) — one of the intervals into which
the range of diameters of trees in a forest is divided for purposes
of classification. These are often done in 2 cm increments.
diameter-limit — a method of forest harvesting in which all trees
larger than a specified diameter are removed. This is not a
recognized silviculture system in Ontario.
disperser — an organism that moves from its birth place to another
location. For example, a salamander is a poor disperser and tends to
move within 70 metres from its birth pond. A seed disperser refers
to an organism or an environmental factor, such as wind or water
that carries a seed from one area and deposits it in another.
double brooding — the production of two groups of young (i.e.,
broods) in one breeding season, by the same pair of adults.
Typically, birds build another nest for the second brood, and the
male cares for the first brood while the female tends her new nest.
downed woody debris (DWD) — any dead woody material, such
as branches, logs, and tree tops on the ground. Nutrient cycling,
water retention, soil disturbance, soil formation, erosion control,
seedbeds, and wildlife habitat are some of the ecological functions
that relate to down woody debris.
Dutch elm disease — a fungal disease of elm trees which is spread
by the exotic Asian elm bark beetle. It has devastated native
populations of elms that have not evolved resistance to the disease.
early successional forest — an early successional forest is the
forest that becomes established immediately following a
disturbance or the abandonment of land from other uses such as
farming. It is often characterized by widely distributed, fast
growing, shade intolerant shrub and tree species.
ecological function — the individual or collective role each
species performs in an ecosystem which alters the surrounding
biotic and abiotic environment. This is influenced by species
abundance, fitness, and viability. For example, high abundances
of white-tailed deer, who function as herbivores, can alter plant
communities by excessive browsing, which disturbs the plant
breeding function and can result in the loss of certain plant
species or trees and their specific roles (functions), i.e., erosion
control or nesting habitat.
ecological integrity — the ability of an ecosystem to function
and continue to provide natural goods and services while
maintaining biodiversity.
ecological trap — an area of falsely attractive habitat preferentially
selected by a species, resulting in poor survival and reproductive
success. This typically occurs when the environment changes
rapidly so that cues used for habitat selection are no longer reliably
associated with high quality habitat.
ecologist — a person who studies ecology. See ecology.
ecology — the study of the distribution and abundance of life
and the interactions between organisms and their natural
environment.
ecosystem — the natural complex of all living components, such
as plants and animals, functioning together in the abiotic
environment in which they live.
edge — the boundary between dissimilar environments or
habitats. In fragmented landscapes, edges are typically between
forests and agricultural or developed land.
edge effects — a change in species composition, physical
conditions, or other ecological factors at the boundary between
two ecosystems.
edge specialist — any species associated with, or a specialist of,
edge habitats.
Glossary of Terms 91