Browsing by Author "Bednar, Joshua D"
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Item Avian Response to Group Selection Harvest in Northern Hardwoods, Aitkin County, Minnesota(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2021-10) Bednar, Joshua D; Grinde, Alexis RThe breeding bird communities of the western Great Lakes region have among the richest diversity of breeding bird species in North America (Neimi et al. 2016). The importance of this diversity and past concerns about potential declines of some species has led to a strong interest in studying forest bird populations in relation to forest management in the region (Hanowski and Niemi 1995, Niemi et al. 2016). Northern hardwood forests provide habitat for a variety of breeding bird species, including many long-distance migrants. Before European settlement, northern hardwoods (e.g., sugar maple and black ash) comprised approximately 20% of Minnesota’s forest (5.3 million acres). Over the past century, almost 4 million acres of northern hardwood stands in Minnesota have converted to other forest types, primarily shade-intolerant species such as aspen, and today northern hardwoods account for approximately 12% of forestlands in the state. There has been a recent interest in limiting future loss of northern hardwoods in Minnesota by managing this forest type on an uneven-aged basis. The Aitkin County Forestry Department has recently started implementing an uneven-aged approach using a group or patch selection for managing northern hardwood forests across the landscape. The goal of this management approach is to retain mature northern hardwood species throughout each rotation while providing wood resources for local industry and promoting regeneration and growth of high-value hardwood trees. Because northern hardwood forests provide habitat for a variety of breeding bird species, it is important to document potential shifts in breeding bird communities associated with forest management practices. To do this, we implemented a BACI (Before, After, Control, Impact; Conquest 2000) monitoring framework to assess the effect of uneven-aged management on breeding bird communities in Minnesota’s northern hardwood forests. This assessment is important because although the response of breeding birds to successional forest stages—from clear-cut to mature stand ages—are relatively well known for northern Minnesota forests, breeding bird response to uneven-aged management, specifically group selection, in northern hardwoods has not been thoroughly studied in Minnesota. We hypothesized that mature forest breeding species abundance will decrease after harvest and that abundance of early-successional species would increase to correspond with the newly created habitat on the treatment plot. This report summarizes breeding bird surveys completed pre-harvest in two mature forest stands in Aitkin County, Minnesota, 2013–2015 and the two years of post-harvest surveys that occurred in 2020– 2021. Our overall objectives were to: 1) conduct breeding bird surveys in northern hardwood study plots, 2) document bird community composition and species abundances, and 3) determine whether there are differences between breeding bird communities in the control (not harvested) versus the treatment (harvested) areas.Item Breeding Birds of Deep Portage Learning Center - 2016 Hackensack, Minnesota 56452(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2016-12) Niemi, Gerald J; Peterson, Debbie; Grinde, Alexis R; Bednar, Joshua D; Schutte, SaraThe Avian Research program at the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) of the University of Minnesota, Duluth has developed a spatial technique to sample breeding birds over a large heterogeneous landscape in northern Minnesota’s forested regions. We currently have sampled 10 of these one square mile research plots among diverse ownership and areas that range from the Chippewa National Forest to Pine County to extreme northeastern Minnesota. Hence, Deep Portage represents the 11th such plot and the second in a nature, learning center environment; the other one being Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in Isabella, MN. Many of these research plots were originally sampled in the mid-1990’s. They provide a solid baseline on the spatial distribution of breeding birds within forest stands, but more importantly the landscape context of those forest stands with respect to patch size and edges. The vast majority of research on breeding bird populations and distributions have focused on individual stands, but not on the entire landscape. Our overall goal is to increase understanding on how individual bird species use different forest cover types and landscapes in different ecological regions of the forested zone of Minnesota. Our specific objective here was to sample the distribution and abundance of breeding birds in a large landscape of the western, forested region in Minnesota, but also one under active forest management. Here we present the results of sampling in June 2016 and compare with a previous sampling of the Deep Portage area by Wieland over a four year period from 2004-2007.Item Chippewa National Forest Hunter Walking Trail Project 2020 – Pre-harvest Results(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2020-12) Grinde, Alexis R; Bednar, Joshua D; Kolbe, Stephen; Seibers, ReidMinnesota’s managed forests provide critical habitat for hundreds of resident and migrant bird species. Forest management provides an important opportunity to conserve and cultivate critical habitat for species of management and conservation concern. Recent declines in upland game populations in the state have generated a renewed interest in using forest management to create habitats that not only support breeding adults but also those that maximize juvenile survival and increase recruitment into the populations. Conservation concerns regarding Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) and American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) have been extensively documented: North American populations of American Woodcock have declined by over 30% in the last 50 years. In Minnesota, American Woodcock are a Species in Greatest Conservation Need. Approximately 10% of the global population breeds in Minnesota. Ruffed Grouse populations in Minnesota are significantly declining. Recent declines in harvest numbers of Ruffed Grouse and potential issues with recruiting birds into the population have caused concern range-wide, including in Minnesota. American Woodcock and Ruffed Grouse require a matrix of forest size classes throughout the breeding season. Historically, periodic natural disturbances would create habitat for these species—wildfires or flooding from beaver dams produced a patchwork of shrubby openings amid a largely forested landscape. Currently, the major mechanism of disturbance is harvest; this provides an important opportunity for habitat management for these species. There is increasing interest from forest managers to promote heterogeneous forest matrices that can optimize wildlife occupancy and diversity over time. Chippewa National Forest is planning a long-term habitat improvement project by implementing small-scale, frequent harvests (<5 acres, 5-year intervals) adjacent to hunter walking trails. Currently, there are more than 600 miles of hunter walking trails in Minnesota, and maintaining and enhancing these areas as productive hunting grounds is a priority. The goal of this project is to create and maintain a long-term matrix of habitat in the region that is suitable for Ruffed Grouse while supporting additional game species such as American Woodcock and breeding forest birds. The primary objective of the Chippewa National Forest Hunter Walking Trail Project is to assess the effects of experimental harvesting on Ruffed Grouse and breeding bird species. The results from the pre-harvest study will establish baseline data for future reference. Here, we report the results from pre-harvest line transect and ARU (Autonomous Recording Unit) surveys conducted during the 2020 breeding bird season. These two survey methods are complementary to one another and provide a comprehensive assessment of Ruffed Grouse and breeding bird communities. Specific objectives include: 1. Assess Ruffed Grouse abundance and characterize breeding bird communities before harvest treatments planned for winter 2021-2022; and 2. Summarize preliminary results as a part of the National Forest Bird Monitoring Project annual report and provide data to Chippewa National Forest.Item Chippewa National Forest Hunter Walking Trail Project 2021 – Pre-harvest Results(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2021-12) Grinde, Alexis R; Kolbe, Stephen; Bednar, Joshua DMinnesota’s managed forests provide critical habitat for hundreds of resident and migrant bird species. Forest management provides an important opportunity to conserve and cultivate critical habitat for species of management and conservation concern. Recent declines in upland game populations in the state have generated a renewed interest in using forest management to create habitats that not only support breeding adults but also those that maximize juvenile survival and increase recruitment into the populations. Conservation concerns regarding Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) and American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) have been extensively documented: ● North American populations of American Woodcock have declined by over 30% in the last 50 years. In Minnesota, American Woodcock are a Species in Greatest Conservation Need. Approximately 10% of the global population breeds in Minnesota. ● Ruffed Grouse populations in Minnesota are significantly declining. Recent declines in harvest numbers of Ruffed Grouse and potential issues with recruiting birds into the population have caused concern range-wide, including in Minnesota. American Woodcock and Ruffed Grouse require a matrix of forest size classes throughout the breeding season. Historically, periodic natural disturbances would create habitat for these species—wildfires or flooding from beaver dams produced a patchwork of shrubby openings amid a largely forested landscape. Currently, the major mechanism of disturbance is harvest; this provides an important opportunity for habitat management for these species. There is increasing interest from forest managers to promote heterogeneous forest matrices that can optimize wildlife occupancy and diversity over time. Chippewa National Forest is planning a long-term habitat improvement project by implementing small-scale, frequent harvests (<5 acres, 5-year intervals) adjacent to hunter walking trails. Currently, there are more than 600 miles of hunter walking trails in Minnesota, and maintaining and enhancing these areas as productive hunting grounds is a priority. The goal of this project is to create and maintain a long-term matrix of habitat in the region that is suitable for Ruffed Grouse while supporting additional game species such as American Woodcock and breeding forest birds. The primary objective of the Chippewa National Forest Hunter Walking Trail Project is to assess the effects of experimental harvesting on Ruffed Grouse and breeding bird species. The results from the preharvest study will establish baseline data for future reference. Here, we report the results from preharvest line transect and ARU (Autonomous Recording Unit) surveys conducted during the 2021 breeding bird season. These two survey methods are complementary to one another and provide a comprehensive assessment of Ruffed Grouse and breeding bird communities. Specific objectives include: 1. Assess Ruffed Grouse abundance and characterize breeding bird communities before harvest treatments planned for 2021-2022; and 2. Summarize preliminary results as a part of the National Forest Bird Monitoring Project annual report and provide data to Chippewa National Forest.Item Chippewa National Forest Hunter Walking Trail Project 2022 – Pre-harvest Results(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2022-12) Grinde, Alexis R; Kolbe, Stephen; Bednar, Joshua DThe primary objective of the Chippewa National Forest Hunter Walking Trail Project is to assess the effects of experimental harvesting on Ruffed Grouse and breeding bird species. The results from the pre-harvest study (2020-2021) established baseline data for future reference. Here, we report the results from pre- and post-harvest (depending on the study area) line transect and ARU (Autonomous Recording Unit) surveys conducted during the 2022 breeding bird season. These two survey methods are complementary to one another and provide a comprehensive assessment of Ruffed Grouse and breeding bird communities. Specific objectives include: 1. Assess Ruffed Grouse abundance and characterize breeding bird communities before and after harvest treatments that were or will be implemented in 2021-2022; and 2. Summarize preliminary results as a part of the National Forest Bird Monitoring Project annual report and provide data to Chippewa National Forest.Item Chippewa National Forest Hunter Walking Trail Project 2023 Report(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2023-12) Grinde, Alexis R; Kolbe, Stephen; Bednar, Joshua DThe primary objective of the Chippewa National Forest Hunter Walking Trail Project is to assess the effects of experimental harvesting on Ruffed Grouse and breeding bird species. The results from the pre-harvest study (2020–2021) established baseline data for future reference. Here, we report the results from pre- and post-harvest (depending on the study area) line transect and ARU (Autonomous Recording Unit) surveys conducted during the 2023 breeding bird season. These two survey methods are complementary to one another and provide a comprehensive assessment of Ruffed Grouse and breeding bird communities. Specific objectives include: 1. Assess Ruffed Grouse abundance and characterize breeding bird communities before and after harvest treatments that were implemented in 2021–2023; and 2. Summarize preliminary results as a part of the National Forest Bird Monitoring Project annual report and provide data to Chippewa National Forest.Item Conserving Black Terns and Forster’s Terns in Minnesota(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2024-07) Bracey, Annie; Bednar, Joshua D; Kolbe, Stephen; Grinde, Alexis RItem Development of Habitat Models and Habitat Maps for Breeding Bird Species In the Agassiz Lowlands Subsection, Minnesota, USA(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2015) Bednar, Joshua D; Zlonis, Edmund J; Panci, Hannah; Moen, Ronald; Niemi, Gerald JWe report results of a two-‐year effort in 2013 and 2014 to sample breeding bird species in the extensive lowland coniferous forests in the Agassiz Lowland Ecological Subsection (ALS) of northwestern Minnesota. The effort is a part of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) forest planning process to identify forested areas of conservation concern to selected forest bird species potentially affected by logging activity. The general objectives were to: 1) identify lowland coniferous forest stands that encompassed a gradient of age classes, productivity as measured by site index, and forest patch sizes, 2) sample breeding bird populations within each of the selected stands in 2013 and 2014, 3) identify habitat and landscape characteristics associated with selected breeding bird species within these forest stand types, 4) develop habitat models for bird species of conservation concern and those potentially affected by logging activity, 5) apply the habitat models to state-‐owned land to map the potential distribution of individual species or combinations of species in the ALS, and 6) provide recommendations on forest management that could be beneficial for conservation of breeding birds within the ALS.Item Minnesota National Forest Breeding Bird Monitoring Program Annual Report 1995-2019(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2019) Grinde, Alexis R; Bednar, Joshua D; Liljenquist, Alexis LMinnesota’s National Forest Breeding Bird Monitoring Program has documented trends in forest bird abundances for 25 years. These data have provided insight into the impacts of forest management on breeding birds and helped inform the development of management policies and conservation initiatives. This report summarizes forest bird monitoring data gathered from 1995 through 2019. Here we summarize the current status of species trends and overall trends for migration, habitat, and nesting guilds. We focus our discussion on species of conservation importance in the state to provide an ecological context and discuss management implications of the observed patterns in the region for these species.Item Minnesota National Forest Breeding Bird Monitoring Program Annual Report 1995–2018(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2018-12-06) Grinde, Alexis R; Walton, Nicholas G; Bednar, Joshua D; Liljenquist, Alexis L; Kolbe, StephenMinnesota’s National Forest Breeding Bird Monitoring Program has documented trends in forest bird abundances for 24 years. These data have provided insight into the impacts of forest management on breeding birds and helped inform the development of management policies and conservation initiatives. This report summarizes forest bird monitoring data gathered from 1995 through 2018. Here we summarize the current status of species trends and overall trends for migration, habitat, and nesting guilds. We focus our discussion on species of conservation importance in the state to provide an ecological context and discuss management implications of the observed patterns in the region for these species.Item Minnesota National Forest Breeding Bird Monitoring Program Annual Report 1995–2020(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2020-12) Grinde, Alexis R; Bednar, Joshua D; Kolbe, Stephen; Seibers, ReidThe Avian Ecology Lab at the Natural Resources Research Institute completed the 26th year of Minnesota's National Forest Breeding Bird Monitoring Program in 2020. These data have provided insight into the impacts of forest management on breeding bird populations and informed the development of management policies and conservation initiatives. This report summarizes forest bird monitoring data gathered from 1995 through 2020. Here we summarize the current status of species trends and overall trends for migration, habitat, and nesting guilds. We focus our discussion on species of conservation importance in the state to provide an ecological context and discuss management implications of the observed patterns in the region for these species.Item Minnesota National Forest Breeding Bird Monitoring Program Annual Report 1995–2021(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2021-12) Grinde, Alexis R; Siebers, Reid; Bednar, Joshua DThe Avian Ecology Lab at the Natural Resources Research Institute completed the 27th year of Minnesota's National Forest Breeding Bird Monitoring Program in 2021. These data have provided insight into the impacts of forest management on breeding bird populations and informed the development of management policies and conservation initiatives. This report summarizes forest bird monitoring data gathered from 1995 through 2021. Here we summarize the current status of species trends and overall trends for migration, habitat, and nesting guilds. We focus our discussion on species of conservation importance in the state to provide an ecological context and discuss management implications of the observed patterns in the region for these species.Item Minnesota National Forest Breeding Bird Monitoring Program Annual Report 1995–2022(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2022-12) Grinde, Alexis R; Siebers, Reid; Kolbe, Stephen; Bednar, Joshua DThe Avian Ecology Lab at the Natural Resources Research Institute completed the 28th year of Minnesota's National Forest Breeding Bird Monitoring Program in 2022. These data have provided insight into the impacts of forest management on breeding bird populations and informed the development of management policies and conservation initiatives. This report summarizes forest bird monitoring data gathered from 1995 through 2022. Here we summarize the current status of species trends and overall trends for migration, habitat, and nesting guilds. We focus our discussion on species of conservation importance in the state to provide an ecological context and discuss management implications of the observed patterns in the region for these species.Item Minnesota National Forest Breeding Bird Monitoring Program Annual Report 1995–2023(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2023-12) Grinde, Alexis R; Siebers, Reid; Kolbe, Stephen; Bednar, Joshua DThe Avian Ecology Lab at the Natural Resources Research Institute completed the 29th year of Minnesota's National Forest Breeding Bird Monitoring Program in 2023. These data have provided insights into the impacts of forest management on breeding bird populations and informed the development of management policies and conservation initiatives. This report summarizes forest bird monitoring data gathered from 1995 through 2023. Here we summarize the current status of species trends and overall trends for migration, habitat, and nesting guilds. We focus our discussion on species of conservation importance in the state to provide ecological context and to discuss management implications of the observed patterns for these species in the region.Item Summary of Breeding Bird Trends in the Chippewa and Superior National Forests of Minnesota: 1995-2012(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2012) Niemi, Gerald J; Grinde, Alexis R; Bednar, Joshua D; Zlonis, Edmund JThe breeding bird communities of the western Great Lakes region have among the richest diversity of breeding bird species in North America (Green 1995, Howe et al. 1997, Rich et al. 2004). The importance of this diversity and past concerns with potential declines of some species has led to a strong interest in monitoring forest bird populations in the region. The relatively heavily forested landscapes of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin are considered to be population 'sources' for many forest bird species and may be supplementing population 'sinks' in the agricultural landscapes of the lower Midwest (Robinson et al. 1995, Temple and Flaspohler 1998). Analysis of population trends is used as an 'early-warning system' of potential problems in a species population and serves as a measure of the ecological condition of the environment (Niemi and McDonald 2004a). Recently, a draft of a general technical report on a summary of the twenty-plus year data that have been gathered in the Chequamegon, Chippewa, Nicolet, and Superior NFs from the late 1980s through 2011 has been completed (Niemi et al. 2013). This report is due for publication during the spring of 2013. It summarizes a substantial amount of information that has been gathered on population trends, habitat relationships, bird community assemblages, factors potentially affecting population trends, management recommendations for bird species of concern, and a brief review of potential invasive species affecting bird species. Large-scale population monitoring programs such as the U.S. Geological Survey’s Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provide important information on trends at a continental scale. However, limited coverage in some areas can make it difficult to use BBS data to characterize population trends at smaller geographic scales (Peterjohn et al. 1995). Continental trends also have the potential to mask regional population trends (Holmes and Sherry 1988), thus there is a need for regional monitoring programs that can provide more localized information (Howe et al. 1997). In response to the need for regional population data, a long-term forest breeding bird monitoring program was established in 1991 in the Chippewa and Superior NFs. The Forest Service is mandated to monitor certain management indicator species (Manley et al. 1993), and our monitoring program expands beyond indicator species to include all forest songbird species that we can adequately sample. Currently, approximately 314 stands (942 points) within the two NFs are surveyed during the breeding season (June 1 to July 10). The primary objective of this report is to update U.S. Forest Service personnel on results of the forest bird monitoring program. Here we focus on relative abundance trends of individual species during the period from 1995-2012 (18 years) and summarize the most important recent results.Item Summary of Breeding Bird Trends in the Chippewa and Superior National Forests of Minnesota: 1995-2013(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2013) Zlonis, Edmund J; Grinde, Alexis R; Bednar, Joshua D; Niemi, Gerald JThe breeding bird communities of the western Great Lakes region have among the richest diversity of breeding bird species in North America (Green 1995, Howe et al. 1997, Rich et al. 2004). The importance of this diversity and past concerns with potential declines of some species has led to a strong interest in monitoring forest bird populations in the region. The relatively heavily forested landscapes of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin are considered to be population 'sources' for many forest bird species and may be supplementing population 'sinks' in the agricultural landscapes of the lower Midwest (Robinson et al. 1995, Temple and Flaspohler 1998). Analysis of population trends is used as an 'early-warning system' of potential problems in a species population and serves as a measure of the ecological condition of the environment (Niemi and McDonald 2004a). 2013 Annual Report – Forest Bird Monitoring 2 Recently, a draft of a general technical report on a summary of the twenty-plus year data that have been gathered in the Chequamegon, Chippewa, Nicolet, and Superior NFs from the late 1980s through 2011 has been completed (Niemi et al. 2013). This report has gone through several iterations of peer-review and is currently in press. It summarizes a substantial amount of information that has been gathered on population trends, habitat relationships, bird community assemblages, factors potentially affecting population trends, management recommendations for bird species of concern, and a brief review of potential invasive species affecting bird species. Large-scale population monitoring programs such as the U.S. Geological Survey’s Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provide important information on trends at a continental scale. However, limited coverage in some areas can make it difficult to use BBS data to characterize population trends at smaller geographic scales (Peterjohn et al. 1995). Continental trends also have the potential to mask regional population trends (Holmes and Sherry 1988), thus there is a need for regional monitoring programs that can provide more localized information (Howe et al. 1997). In response to the need for regional population data, a long-term forest breeding bird monitoring program was established in 1991 in the Chippewa and Superior NFs. The Forest Service is mandated to monitor certain management indicator species (Manley et al. 1993), and our monitoring program expands beyond indicator species to include all forest songbird species that we can adequately sample. Although recent changes to the USFS Planning Rule are in the process of being implemented (USDA Forest Service 2012), we are confident that this program is an effective way of monitoring the characteristics and conditions of an important component of the ecological communities present in these NFs. Currently, more than 300 stands (> 900 points) within the two NFs are surveyed during the breeding season (June 1 to July 10). The primary objective of this report is to update U.S. Forest Service personnel on results of the forest bird monitoring program. Here we focus on relative abundance trends of individual species during the period from 1995-2013 (19 years) and summarize the most important recent results.Item Summary of Breeding Bird Trends in the Chippewa and Superior National Forests of Minnesota: 1995-2015(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2015) Zlonis, Edmund J; Grinde, Alexis R; Bednar, Joshua D; Niemi, Gerald J