Download (PDF 2.29 MB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/64958.pdf
Abstract
Small-scale (< 5 ha) tree thinning treatments were implemented at two pinyon-juniper (Pinus edulis-Juniperus monosperma) and two ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) wildland-urban interface woodland sites in central New Mexico. We used paired watershed, Before/After/Control/Impact sampling designs with 3 years of prethinning measurements followed by 5 years of posttreatment measurements. Characteristics of soils, vegetation, and wildlife were measured. Manual thinning treatments reduced small trees, removed firewood, and chipped slash. The treatments reduced wildfire fuel loads, changed the woodlands to more open stands of proportionately larger trees, increased herbaceous understory vegetation canopy cover, and caused some shifts in bird, rodent, and larger wildlife species assemblages. Animal species that prefer tree cover either declined slightly or showed no response to thinning, while species that prefer open habitats increased slightly. Birds showed primarily neutral responses, but several avian species showed positive responses. Rodents showed primarily neutral or negative responses, but dominant pinyon mice (Peromyscus truei) declined. Larger native mammals and wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) showed negative responses while domestic livestock increased on thinned locations.
Parent Publication
Citation
Lightfoot, David; Russell, Anne; Amato, Victoria; Stropki, Cody; Flynn, Conor; Dolly, Ian; Franks, Joanna. 2020. Wildlife responses to small-scale tree thinning in central New Mexico pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine woodlands. In: Malcolm, Karl; Dykstra, Brian; Johnson, Kristine; Lightfoot, David; Muldavin, Esteban; Ramsey, Marikay. Symposium Proceedings on Pinon-Juniper Habitats: Status and Management for Wildlife - 2016. Proceedings RMRS-P-77. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 74-118.
