HABITAT QUALITY AND REPRODUCTION OF RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER GROUPS INFLORIDA

Current foraging habitat guidelines for management of the red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borcalis [RCW]) are based on the hypotheses that reproductive success, number of adults per family group, and occupanc y of a cluster of cavity trees by a group are related to the amount of foraging habitat available to each group. We tested these hypotheses in a population in the Apalachicola National Forest (ANF) in Florida. Guidelines mandate providing greater than or equal to 6350 pine trees greater than or equal to 25-cm diameter at breast height (dbh) within 800 m of each cluster of cavity trees; occupied clusters we studied ha d 1,200-13,176 available pines. We detected no association between num ber of young fledged and the availability of pine trees or degree of h abitat fragmentation. We found a weak association between number of yo ung fledged and demographic isolation surrounding cavity tree clusters . No differences were detected in the amount of available foraging hab itat or degree of habitat fragmentation surrounding cavity tree cluste rs occupied by groups of different sizes. However, unoccupied clusters had fewer occupied clusters within 2 km than did occupied clusters. W e could not reject the null hypothese that reproductive attainment and group size were the same for groups with different amounts of availab le foraging habitat. Our results are consistent with the majority of e arlier studies. We suggest that foraging guidelines should not categor ically prohibit actions designed to benefit RCW long-term when these a ctions reduce available foraging habitat below guideline levels in the short-term.