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

Timber Management
Even-aged and two-aged silviculture
treatments, such as clearcutting, seed
tree harvests, green-tree retention,
and shelterwood harvests, can provide
the proper structural conditions that
Golden-winged Warblers prefer. Group
and single-tree selection characteristic
of uneven-aged harvest prescriptions
produce small gaps that are
infrequently occupied by Goldenwinged
Warblers. Rotate management
between adjacent sites such that at
least 15–20% of a management area is
available as breeding habitat in any
one year. Refer to the Golden-winged
Warbler Forestland Best Management
Practices in Pennsylvania and Maryland
(Bakermans et al. 2011) for a complete
set of guidelines for creating and
maintaining Golden-winged Warbler
breeding habitat via timber harvests.
Retention of residual canopy trees is an
important characteristic of aspen clearcuts
supporting breeding pairs of Golden-winged
Warblers in northern Wisconsin (Roth et al.
unpubl. data, Figure 3–17). Retention of these
healthy canopy trees (and snags) provides
foraging opportunities and song perches for
territorial males (Figure 3–19). Absence of
residual trees is correlated with low male
densities and poor mating success.
Ruffed Grouse Habitat is Golden-winged Warbler Habitat
For species that depend on young forests and shrublands,
most timber management practices that create ESH for one
species will benefit a broad suite of associated species.
Ruffed Grouse management is a good example. From the
Ruffed Grouse Conservation Plan, recommendations that
are compatible with Golden-winged Warbler habitat needs
include:
• Maintain a mosaic of young forest (< 20 years old)
interspersed with mature stands (> 40 years old).
• Target management along upland-lowland forest
ecotones where topography is relatively flat.
• Within a management site, create 2.5–10 ac (1–4 ha)
clearcut patches.
• In aspen clearcuts, retain up to 15 ft 2 /ac (3.4 m 2 /ha) of
basal area for residual trees.
• In oak or maple clearcuts, retain up to 25 ft 2 /ac (5.7
m 2 /ha) of basal area for residual trees.
To see the Ruffed Grouse Conservation Plan, visit
www.ruffedgrousesociety.org/
A minimum of five to six large residual canopy
trees should be retained per acre (12-14
trees/ha) with at least four (10 trees/ha) of
these being hardwood species (Figure 3–18).
This equates roughly to a minimum of 5 ft 2 /ac (1
m 2 /ha) basal area of residual trees with at least 3
ft 2 /ac (0.6 m 2 /ha) as hardwoods. Mean diameter
at breast height (DBH) for residual trees varied
between 8–13 in (20–33 cm), and a maximum of
38 in (97 cm) was recorded. Residual basal areas
Figure 3–17. This newly harvested aspen forest has a moderate density of residual canopy trees with a high
proportion of hardwoods (northern red oaks) dispersed throughout the stand. In a couple years, when the
understory has regrown, this site should provide excellent nesting habitat for Golden-winged Warblers. Photo
by Laurie Smaglick Johnson.
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