Rhapsody in avian major: a concerto of songbirds, forest management, and the public.

Abstract

Controversy over timber harvesting continues, and public perception of timber harvest has become increasingly important in the debate over land management decisions. However, forest management alternatives are often framed in terms to which the public cannot easily relate, such as "millions of board feet", or terms that trigger a preconceived negative response, such as “harvesting,” which brings to mind clearcutting.

In contrast to attitudes toward timber harvesting, most people are quite positively attuned to wildlife, in particular to songbirds. But the public has very little knowledge about the relationship between forest condition and wildlife habitat, and how different stages of forest development can influence (both positively and negatively) songbird habitat.

Several Pacific Northwest Research Station projects in Washington state are seeking to connect findings about timber management effects on songbird habitat with public perceptions of songbird presence. The merging of two large-scale interdisciplinary studies—the Forest Ecosystem Study and the Silvicultural Options Study—incorporates the disciplines of silviculture, ornithology, sociology, botany, economics, mycology, entomology, mammalogy, ecology, and forest management. The Capitol Forest Bird Study was initiated specifically to investigate the use of songbirds as an interpretive tool to help measure public response to different treatments.

Citation

Duncan, Sally. 2004. Rhapsody in avian major: a concerto of songbirds, forest management, and the public. Science Findings 65. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 5 p