Contributed Papers: A Spatially Explicit Decision Support Model for Restoration of Forest Bird Habitat

• Published in: Conservation biology Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 100 - 110
• Main Authors: Twedt, Daniel J, Uihlein, William B, Blaine Elliott, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.02.2006
• Subjects: Aves; USA
• ISSN: 0888-8892; 1523-1739
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00303.x

The historical area of bottomland hardwood forest in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley has been reduced by >75%. Agricultural production was the primary motivator for deforestation; hence, clearing deliberately targeted higher and drier sites. Remaining forests are highly fragmented and hydrologically altered, with larger forest fragments subject to greater inundation, which has negatively affected many forest bird populations. We developed a spatially explicit decision support model, based on a Partners in Flight plan for forest bird conservation, that prioritizes forest restoration to reduce forest fragmentation and increase the area of forest core (interior forest >1 km from 'hostile' edge). Our primary objective was to increase the number of forest patches that harbor >2000 ha of forest core, but we also sought to increase the number and area of forest cores >5000 ha. Concurrently, we targeted restoration within local (320 km super(2)) landscapes to achieve greater than or equal to 60% forest cover. Finally, we emphasized restoration of higher-elevation bottomland hardwood forests in areas where restoration would not increase forest fragmentation. Reforestation of 10% of restorable land in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (approximately 880,000 ha) targeted at priorities established by this decision support model resulted in approximately 824,000 ha of new forest core. This is more than 32 times the amount of core forest added through reforestation of randomly located fields (approximately 25,000 ha). The total area of forest core (1.6 million ha) that resulted from targeted restoration exceeded habitat objectives identified in the Partners in Flight Bird Conservation Plan and approached the area of forest core present in the 1950s.Original Abstract: La superficie historica del bosque maderas duras en el Mississipi Alluvial Valley se ha reducido en >75%. La produccion agricola fue el principal motivo de la deforestacion, mediante la tala de sitios mas elevados y secos seleccionados deliberadamente. Los bosques remanentes estan muy fragmentados e hidrologicamente alterados, los fragmentos mas grandes estan sujetos a mayor inundacion, lo que ha afectado negativamente a muchas poblaciones de aves de bosque. Desarrollamos un modelo de soporte de decisiones espacialmente explicito, basado en un plan de Partners in Flight para la conservacion de aves de bosque, que prioriza la restauracion de bosques para reducir la fragmentacion de bosques e incrementar la superficie de nucleo de bosque (bosque interior >1 km de borde 'hostil'). Nuestro objetivo primario fue incrementar el numero y superficie de nucleos de bosque >5000 ha. Concomitantemente, enfocamos la restauracion en paisajes locales (320 km super(2)) para alcanzar greater than or equal to 60% de cobertura forestal. Finalmente, enfatizamos la restauracion de bosques de maderas duras en altitudes mayores en areas en las que la restauracion no incrementaria la fragmentacion de bosques. La reforestacion de 10% de tierras restaurables en el Mississipi Alluvial Valley ( similar to 880,000 ha) encaminada a prioridades establecidas por este modelo de soporte de decisiones resulto en 824,000 ha de nucleo de bosque nuevo. Esto es mas de 32 veces la cantidad de nucleo anadido por medio de la reforestacion de campos localizados aleatoriamente ( similar to 25,000 ha). El area total de nucleo de bosque (1.6 millones de ha) que resulto de la restauracion excedio los objetivos de habitat identificados en el Plan de Conservacion de Partners in Flight y se aproximo a la superficie de nucleo de bosque presente en la decada de 1950.