Minnesota's Forest Bird Diversity Initiative FY02-03 Final Report

Abstract

The Minnesota Forest Bird Diversity Initiative (MFBDI) was initiated in 1991 as a comprehensive monitoring, research, and education effort to maintain Minnesota’s rich diversity of forest birds. The Initiative was motivated by: 1) forest-related problems in the eastern US and emerging issues in the Pacific Northwest US, 2) a major study on the potential effects of increased forest harvesting and management in Minnesota (known as the GEIS) indicated that forest birds may exhibit substantial changes in the future unless several mitigation measures were implemented, and 3) little was known about many fundamental issues on the ecology of forest birds. These included limited information on a) population trends of forest birds, b) factors associated with nest success, c) how landscape level changes affect forest bird distribution and abundance, d) how forest management activities affected forest birds, and e) the ability to predict the effects of increased forest harvesting (three-fold increase from 1950 to 1990) on forest birds. Significant progress has been made during this 12-year effort towards improving our understanding of Minnesota’s forest birds. Major accomplishments include: 1) establishment of a comprehensive and effective monitoring program throughout the forested areas of Minnesota to identify habitats used by birds and to detect trends in populations; 2) examination of recent population trends (using data gathered during the past twelve years from the Initiative’s monitoring program) and long-term population trends (using data gathered during the past 37 years from the US Geological Survey’s Breeding Bird Survey roadside routes) to identify forest birds with declining populations; 3) development of a detailed, state-of-the-art classification of Minnesota’s forested areas using satellite imagery (30 m pixel resolution); 4) development of many species-specific models relating bird distribution and abundance to forest cover, age, and landscape patterns; 5) completion of a variety of nesting studies on forest birds that have revealed low reproductive success in southeastern Minnesota and highly variable reproductive success in northern Minnesota; 6) a simulation analysis of the Nashwauk Uplands for four alternative management scenarios - an analysis that links a landscape, succession, and disturbance (LANDIS) model of forest change with the response by forest birds, 7) a prediction on the potential effects of forest plan alternatives that have been proposed for managing the Chippewa and Superior National Forests, and 8) production of a multitude of materials to transfer the knowledge gained from this effort to landowners, land managers, foresters, wildlife biologists, and others. The latter includes the delivery of more than 130 presentations; over 40 peer-reviewed publications and technical reports; training of ten graduate students and two post-doctoral associates; publication of a book, Birds and forests: a conservation and management guide, that reviews current research and management guidelines on birds and their relationships to forest habitats; organizing and participating in numerous workshops on forest bird management and conservation; and publication of a small booklet, Planning for the birds: things to consider when managing your forest, for distribution to private woodland owners through the Forest Stewardship Program. Most of this information is summarized in a web site on Minnesota’s forest birds - www.nrri.umn.edu/mnbirds.