A REVIEW OF WILDLIFE CHANGES IN SOUTHERN BOTTOMLAND HARDWOODS DUE TO FOREST MANAGEMENT-PRACTICES

One function of bottomland hardwood forests is provision of wildlife d iversity and abundance. In this paper, we discuss the temporal and spa tial changes in wildlife diversity and abundance often associated with forest management practices in bottomland hardwoods. Forest managemen t activities alter forest composition, structure, and spatial hetereog eneity, thereby changing the composition, abundance, and diversity of wildlife communities. Special habitat features such as snags, den tree s, and dead and down woody material also may be impacted by forestry p ractices. More research is needed to fully understand landscape-level impacts of forest management.