Development of Habitat Models and Habitat Maps for Breeding Bird Species In the Agassiz Lowlands Subsection, Minnesota, USA

Abstract

We 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.