BREEDING BIRD RESPONSE TO PINE GRASSLAND COMMUNITY RESTORATION FOR RED-COCKADED WOODPECKERS

Plans exist to restore the are-dependent pine (Pinus spp.)-grassland c ommunity in Ouachita National Forest and potentially throughout the so utheastern United States to benefit the endangered red-cockaded woodpe cker (Picoides borealis). Restoration and management techniques includ e wildlife stand improvement (WSI; thinning of midstory and codominant trees) and prescribed fire. We evaluated how habitat improvement for the red-cockaded woodpecker affected other breeding bird species. We c ompared avian species frequency of occurrence and abundance during 2 b reeding seasons in untreated pine-hardwood stands with that in treated stands after WSI and in 3 growing seasons following WSI and prescribe d fire. Total bird densities were highest (P = 0.037) in the second gr owing season following WSI and fire and lowest in the control, whereas species richness did not differ (P = 0.399) among treatments. Densiti es of ground/shrub-foraging and shrub-nesting species increased (P = 0 .002 and 0.002, respectively) the most following WSI and fire. Only gr ound-nesting species were more abundant (P < 0.001) in untreated stand s than in treated stands. Restoration efforts may be beneficial to neo tropical migrant species such as eastern wood-pewee (Contopus virens) and prairie warbler (Dendroica discolor), in addition to declining spe cies of regional interest such as red-cockaded woodpecker, Bachman's s parrow (Aimophila aestivalis), and northern bobwhite (Colinus virginia nus) that depend upon pine-grassland habitats.