Review and download Chapter 3 - Golden-winged Warbler Working ...

Promote natural disturbance regimes
Suppression of fire, beaver activity, flooding, and
native insect/disease outbreaks have increased
the necessity for active management to provide
habitat for Golden-winged Warblers and other
ESH associates. Where and when possible,
natural disturbance regimes that create habitat
should be promoted or restored (Figure 3–14).
Careful consideration should be given to the
timing of the activities and to possible effects on
human habitation and safety, commercially
valuable resources (e.g. trees), cold-water
fisheries, and other issues that could result in
conflicting management needs and priorities.
Reclamation and Restoration of Degraded Sites
Figure 3–14. This sedge meadow occupied by Golden-winged
Warblers in New York is maintained by beaver activity. Photo
by John Confer.
To reclaim or restore heavily disturbed sites such as surface mines and gravel pits, plant native warm
and cool season grasses with forbs and a woody shrub component (Figure 3–15). Plant hardwood tree
species known to be important as song perches and forage trees and allow these to reach maturity;
these should be retained as scattered, residual trees in future disturbance treatments. The shrubs and
trees should be planted in clumps, rather than dispersed evenly across the site. Important residual tree
species include red oaks (Quercus rubra) in the Upper Great Lakes (Roth et al. unpubl. data), black locust
(Robinia pseudoacacia) in the Appalachians (Patton et al. 2010), and apple (Malus sylvestris), black
cherry (Prunus serotina), and hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) in New York (Ficken and Ficken 1968), though
specific species may be less important than having hardwood species that provide critical structure.
Figure 3–15. Not all reclaimed mine areas have appropriate nesting habitat for Golden-winged Warblers, as
illustrated at these sites in the Cumberland Mountains, Tennessee. The site in the left photo does not contain the
necessary woody structure, while the site in the right photo does. Photo by Katie Percy.
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