Long-term effects of experimental forest harvesting on abundance and reproductive demography of terrestrial salamanders

• Published in: Biological conservation Vol. 142; no. 1; pp. 110 - 121
• Main Authors: Homyack, Jessica A., Haas, Carola A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 2009; Kidlington, Oxford: Elsevier Science Ltd; Elsevier
• Subjects: animal reproduction; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Appalachia; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; canopy; Caudata; clearcutting; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Demography; Desmognathus ochrophaeus; females; forest habitats; Forest harvest; forest management; forest regeneration; Forestry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General forest ecology; Generalities. Production, biomass. Quality of wood and forest products. General forest ecology; hardwood forests; Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking; Plethodon cinereus; Plethodontidae; population dynamics; population growth; population size; Quercus; Quercus spp; Salamander; salamanders and newts; wildlife habitats; young animals; West Virginia; Virginia; Salamander; Forest harvest; Demography; Plethodontidae; Quercus spp; Appalachia; Terrestrial environment; Forests; Caudata; Amphibia; Woody plant; Forest logging; Fagaceae; Experimental study; Long term; Vertebrata; Reproduction; Quercus; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; Population dynamics; Ecological abundance; Environmental protection
• ISSN: 0006-3207; 1873-2917
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2008.10.003

Both observational and experimental studies have documented drastic reductions in salamanders after forest harvesting. Yet, the amount of time until salamander populations rebound and the factors limiting recovery after harvesting are unknown. We compared the effects of six oak regeneration practices to a control, representing a disturbance gradient from no treatment to silvicultural clearcut, on the relative abundance and reproductive demography of terrestrial salamanders through 13-years post-harvest. Following the experimental disturbance, relative abundance of terrestrial salamanders in treatments that opened the canopy were significantly and persistently lower than in either untreated control stands or midstory herbicide treatments. In general, this trend persisted through 9–13 years after treatment. Changes to demography of commonly captured salamanders varied by species, but Plethodon cinereus had a greater proportion of juveniles in unharvested treatments 7–13-years post-harvest, and Desmognathus ochrophaeus had a greater proportion of juveniles and a greater number of eggs/female in unharvested treatments 1–6-years post-harvest. Population modeling of P. cinereus indicated that adult survival had the greatest elasticity of the vital rates. Further, >60 years may be needed before P. cinereus reduced by the observed decline could reach pre-harvest levels of abundance. Of the treatments with canopy disturbance, the group selection harvest had the greatest abundances of salamanders 7–13-years post-harvest, but when coupled with future stand entries, the volume of wood fiber extracted, costs of harvesting, reduced sprouting of oaks, and soil disturbances, this method may not have the best balance of ecological and economic sustainability in central Appalachian hardwood forest.