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

ground cover — the layer of vegetation closest to the ground,
typically less than half a metre in height. This includes
herbaceous plants, mosses, and fungi that carpet the forest floor.
group selection — a method of uneven-aged forest harvesting in
which small patches, or groups, of trees are removed. This creates
a patchwork of openings within the forest, where young trees can
grow. It favours mid-tolerant species that need some direct
sunlight to thrive, and can be used in conjunction with single
tree selection between the gaps.
growing stock — the volume (expressed in metres cubed [m 3 ])
of all live trees in a given area.
guidelines — an established practice or behaviour that should
be implemented. Although guidelines are generally voluntary, the
implication is that practitioners will use these concepts and
principles in meeting their resource objectives.
guild — a group of species that use similar resources in
the same way but are not necessarily closely related.
Typically, birds form guilds based on foraging, nesting,
diet, or habitat preferences.
habitat — the place where an organism lives and/or the
conditions of that environment including the soil, vegetation,
water, and food.
habitat generalist/generalist — a species that is able to thrive in
a wide variety of environmental conditions and can make use of a
variety of different resources.
habitat specialist/specialist — any species that can only thrive
in a narrow range of environmental or habitat conditions or has a
limited diet. Specialists are sensitive to environmental changes
that influence that resource or habitat type.
hard edge — a distinct boundary between two very dissimilar
habitat types. A woodlot bordered by an agriculture field or road
are examples of typical hard edges.
hard mast — nuts produced by tree species such as oak and
beech that are consumed by wildlife.
hardwoods — broad-leaved deciduous trees that generally
(but not always) have a relatively high density and hardness.
Ash, hickory, and oak are some of the most prominent
hardwoods. Some hardwoods have softer wood than softwood
(conifer) species.
harvesting — the practice of cutting and removing trees from
a forest.
healthy forest — a forest whose structure, composition, and
function allows for the maintenance of biodiversity and
ecological processes over time.
heartwood — the central core of a tree, which is made up of
dense, dead wood and provides strength to the tree. It usually
differs from the outer wood layer (sapwood) by its darker colour.
heavy cut (heavy partial harvest) — any type of harvesting,
such as diameter-limit or high grading, that results in a residual
basal area of less than19 m 2 /ha, and/or removes more than onethird
of the basal area in a single harvest.
hectare — a unit of area 100 metres by 100 metres in size,
or 10 000 m 2 .
herbaceous plant — any plant with non-woody stems
and leaves that die at the end of the growing season to
the soil level. An herbaceous plant may be annual, biennial,
or perennial.
herbicide — a chemical used to kill or control vegetation such as
brush, weeds, and competing or undesirable trees.
high grading — a form of partial harvesting that selects only the
best trees from a stand (the straightest, highest quality, and most
merchantable trees). Over time, this leads to a residual forest of
deformed and poor quality trees of low economic value.
host — an animal or plant that nourishes and supports a
parasite. Host species do not benefit and are often harmed by the
association. Birds, such as the Wood Thrush, that unsuspectingly
raise Brown-headed Cowbird young, are typical Brown-headed
Cowbird hosts, that suffer reduced productivity or nest success.
hydrology — the science dealing with the properties, distribution,
use, and conservation of water on the surface of the land, in the
soil and underlying rocks, and in the atmosphere.
intermediate storey — the forest layer just below the canopy,
also referred to as mid-canopy and consists of tree saplings,
small trees, and tall shrubs. Trees in this layer usually range in
size from 10–20 cm in dbh, 5–15 metres in height, and
10–60 years in age. Growth of saplings in this layer will often
slow until a canopy opening occurs, releasing trees to grow
rapidly upward.
invasive — a plant or animal, typically not native to an area, that
tends to spread and then dominate the new area.
inventory — a survey of a forest area to determine such data as
tree age, density, condition, species composition, etc. for specific
purposes such as planning, management, or harvesting.
isolation — a measure of the distance between patches of similar
habitat, often used to describe how close a woodlot is to the
nearest woodlot of a particular size.
juvenile — a young bird that has left the nest but has not
reached its adult form, sexual maturity, or size. Songbirds are
juveniles for the first year of life.
landbird — the species of birds that occupy terrestrial habitats
for most of their life cycle. Some landbirds are year round
residents, some are short distance migrants, and others are long
distance migrants.
landings — an open, flat area where logs are collected for
loading onto trucks to be transported to a mill.
landscape — the visible features of a specific geographic area,
including physical elements such as landforms, living elements of
flora and fauna, and human elements, for instance human
activity or the built environment.
Glossary of Terms 93