Wildlife Habitat Management Concepts and Applications in Forestry, Second Edition

Shortlisted for the 2018 TWS Wildlife Publication Awards in the authored book categoryIn recent years, conflicts between ecological conservation and economic growth forced a reassessment of the motivations and goals of wildlife and forestry management. Focus shifted from game and commodity management to biodiversity conservation and ecological forestry. Previously separate fields such as forestry, biology, botany, and zoology merged into a common framework known as conservation biology and resource professionals began to approach natural resource problems in an interdisciplinary light. Wildlife Habitat Management: Concepts and Applications in Forestry presents an integrated reference combining silvicultural and forest planning principles with principles of habitat ecology and conservation biology. With extensive references and case studies drawn from real situations, this book begins with general concepts such as habitat selection, forest composition, influences on habitat patterns, and the dynamics of disturbance ecology. It considers management approaches for specific habitats including even-aged and uneven-aged systems, riparian areas, and dead wood and highlights those approaches that will conserve and manage biodiversity. The author discusses assessment and prioritization policies, monitoring techniques, and ethical and legal issues that can have worldwide impact. Detailed appendices provide a glossary, scientific names, and tools for measuring and interpreting habitat elements. Writing in a species-specific manner, the author emphasizes the need to consider the potential effects of management decisions on biodiversity conservation and maintains a holistic approach throughout the book. Drawing from the author’s more than 30 years working and teaching in natural resources conservation, Wildlife Habitat Management: Concepts and Applications in Forestry provides a synopsis of current preservation techniques and establishes a common body of knowledge from which to approach the conservation of biodiversity in the future.

IntroductionWhat Is Habitat?Forests as HabitatCase Study: The Forests of British ColumbiaSummaryReferencesHumans as a Forest-Dependent SpeciesEcological Restoration and Ecosystem ServicesSocial Values Associated with Forests and WildlifePublic Resources on Private LandsCase Study: Environmental Activism and Effects on HabitatSummaryReferencesVertebrate Habitat SelectionHierarchical SelectionDensity-Dependent Habitat SelectionRelationship between Habitat Quality and DemographicsMeasuring Habitat SelectionProximate and Ultimate Cues to Habitat QualityCase Study: American Marten Habitat SelectionSummaryReferencesForest Structure and CompositionFood and Cover in a Cellulose-Managed SystemSummaryReferencesPhysical Influences on Habitat PatternsThe Physical EnvironmentSummaryReferencesCultural Effects on Habitat PatternsLand UseClimate ChangeInvasive SpeciesSynergistic EffectsCase Study: Passenger Pigeons, Humans, and ForestsSummaryReferencesDisturbance Ecology and Habitat DynamicsDisturbance Size and PatternDisturbance SeverityDisturbance FrequencyDisturbance Frequency, Size, Severity RelationshipsStand DynamicsSuccession as a Continuum of Habitat ElementsSummaryReferencesSilviculture and Habitat Management: Even-Aged SystemsSilviculture as a Forest DisturbanceCharacteristics of Even-Aged StandsCase Study: Douglas-Fir PlantationSummaryReferencesSilviculture and Habitat Management: Uneven-Aged SystemsCharacteristics of Uneven-Aged StandsConsidering the Site PotentialUneven-Aged Regeneration MethodsNatural Regeneration and Planting OptionsUneven-Aged Stand DevelopmentHabitat Elements in Uneven-Aged StandsChallenges to Using Uneven-Aged MethodsNontraditional Management ApproachesCase Study: Managing a Small Privately Owned ForestSummaryReferencesDesired Future ConditionsDeveloping the Stand PrescriptionCase Study: Growing Red-Cockaded Woodpecker HabitatSummaryReferencesRiparian Area ManagementAnimal Associations with Riparian AreasGradients within Riparian ZonesRiparian FunctionsRiparian BuffersCase study: Riparian Area Management in a Patchwork OwnershipSummaryReferencesDead Wood ManagementPrimary Cavity ExcavatorsSecondary Cavity UsersLog UsersPatterns of Dead Wood Following DisturbanceManagement of Tree Cavities and Dead WoodEffects of Biofuels Management on Dead-Wood-Dependent SpeciesSummaryReferencesManaging Fire in ForestsEffects of Fire on Habitat Elements and SuccessionChanging Fire Risk through ManagementSummaryReferencesUrban Forests and Habitat ElementsDefining Urban Forests along an Urban-Rural ContinuumHow Some Species Interpret the s’Built Environment?"Finding Spaces for Habitat ManagementHabitat Elements Limiting Species in Urban and Suburban SettingsUrban Streams and WetlandsUrban Expansion, Wetlands, and MitigationManaging Trees, Parks, and Forests in Urban SettingsSummaryReferencesLandscape Structure and CompositionLiving on the EdgeHabitat FragmentationSummaryReferencesLandscape ConnectionsDispersalConnectivity and Gap-Crossing AbilityCase Study: Matrix Management for a Wide-Ranging SpeciesSummaryReferencesManaging Woodlands in Agricultural EnvironmentsValues of Woodlots to LandownersEdge Effects in Agricultural SettingsLoss of Forests in Industrial Agricultural SettingsField and Farm Management That Influences Woodlot FunctionSpecialty Crops and AgroforestryOrganic versus Traditional AgricultureMultifunctional LandscapesCertification of Agricultural Lands for Wildlife: The Role of TreesSummaryReferencesApproaches to Biodiversity ConservationWhat is Biodiversity?Setting Biodiversity GoalsHow Do We Conceptualize "Biodiversity" to Be Able to Conserve It?Challenges to Managing BiodiversitySummaryReferencesLandscape Management PlansEstablishing GoalsCurrent ConditionsDesired Future ConditionsPathways to Desired Future ConditionsDeveloping the Landscape Management PlanPlan EffectivenessSummaryReferencesEcoregional Assessments and Conservation PrioritiesEcoregional AssessmentsExamples of Ecoregional AssessmentsAßeßing Patterns of Habitat Availability and QualitySummaryReferencesViable Populations in Dynamic ForestsExtinction RisksGoals of PVAsPVA ModelsConducting a PVA for a Forest-Associated SpeciesExamples of PVA AnalysesModel Errors and UncertaintiesInterpreting Results from PVA ProjectionsSummaryReferencesMonitoring Habitat Elements and PopulationsAdaptive ManagementDesigning Monitoring PlansIs Data Already Available and Sufficient?Making Decisions with DataExamples of Approaches to MonitoringSummaryReferencesForest Sustainability and Habitat ManagementDefining the Resources to be SustainedScales of SustainabilityHumans are Part of the SystemForest CertificationSustaining and Marketing Ecosystem Services: Habitat BankingSummaryReferencesRegulatory and Legal ConsiderationsInternational Laws and AgreementsPolicy AnalysisHow Decisions in the United States Influence Habitat in the WorldCase Study: The Endangered Species Act and Climate ChangeSummaryReferencesShould I Manage the Forest?What Does Restoration Mean?Developing a Personal Management PhilosophySummaryReferencesCommon and Scientific Names of Species Mentioned in the TextGlossaryMeasuring and Interpreting Habitat ElementsWildlife-Habitat Relationships ModelsProjecting Habitat Elements through Time

Brenda C. McComb, PhD, is Professor and Dean, Graduate School, Oregon State University, Corvallis. She is responsible for over 80 graduate programs and 4500 graduate students at a large research intensive university, having spent much of her 36-year career engaged in natural resources research, teaching, outreach, and administration.