BREEDING BIRD POPULATIONS IN MISSOURI OZARK FORESTS WITH AND WITHOUT CLEARCUTTING

Concern has arisen that forest management practices that create edge (such as clearcutting) are contributing to regional declines in neotropical migrant birds that inhabit forest interiors. Consequently, we studied breeding bird populations in an extensively forested region of southern Missouri to determine if the numbers of breeding birds differed between areas (n = 9) managed by the clearcutting method (CCM), and areas (n = 9) of mature forest with no recent timber harvest or other disturbances (NOHVST). Three forest interior migrants had lower (P < 0.06) mean densities on CCM sites than NOHVST sites; 3 had greater (P < 0.03) densities on CCM sites; and densities of 3 others did not differ (P > 0.40) between treatments. All early successional migrants had greater (P < 0.01) densities on CCM sites. Numbers of 2 avian nest predators and a brood parasite did not differ (P > 0.20) on CCM and NOHVST sites. Densities of 9 species differed (P < 0.10) among regeneration, sapling, and pole-sawtimber habitats on CCM sites. While clearcutting reduced numbers of forest interior birds that were dependent on mature forest habitats, other forest interior species made extensive use of early and mid-successional even-aged stands and occurred in greater numbers on CCM sites.