Bird Usage of Hybrid Poplar Plantations Five Year Report 1992-1996

Abstract

Our efforts over the past five years have focused on one overall objective; to understand the habitat value of hybrid poplar plantations to breeding and migrating birds. Several objectives, with testable hypotheses were developed to address this overall objective. These hypotheses revolve around three central themes. The first is to determine how habitat changes with 1) plantation age, 2) size of plantation, 3) within plantation habitat, and 4) landscape context. The second set of hypotheses address the impacts of converting existing land to hybrid poplar considering; 1) type of habitat replaced, 2) landscape composition surrounding plantation, 3) within plantation plantings to enhance wildlife habitat value, and 4) affects of plantation on surrounding bird communities including assessment of predation events. Thirdly, we are focusing our efforts towards modeling these data spatially. Information required for these models include; 1) size of plantation, 2) landscape composition, 3) growth rates of trees, and 4) bird species composition at different stages of plantation succession.