Tb. Wigley et Th. Roberts, FOREST MANAGEMENT AND WILDLIFE IN FORESTED WETLANDS OF THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS, Water, air and soil pollution, 77(3-4), 1994, pp. 445-456
The southern Appalachian region contains a variety of forested wetland
types. Among the more prevalent types are riparian and bottomland har
dwood forests. In this paper we discuss the temporal and spatial chang
es in wildlife diversity and abundance often associated with forest ma
nagement practices within bottomland and riparian forests. Common silv
icultural practices within the southern Appalachians are diameter-limi
t cutting, clearcutting, single-tree selection, and group selection. T
hese practices alter forest composition, structure, and spatial hetere
ogeneity, thereby changing the composition, abundance, and diversity o
f wildlife communities. They also can impact special habitat features
such as snags, den trees, and dead and down woody material. The value
of wetland forests as habitat also is affected by characteristics of a
djacent habitats. More research is needed to fully understand the impa
cts of forest management in wetlands of the southern Appalachians.