Response of Brown-headed Nuthatches to thinning of pine plantations

Brown-headed Nuthatches (Sitta pusilla) reached their highest abundance wit hin loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations in the first year after thinnin g and declined in subsequent years. Commercial thinning of plantations resu lted in a reduction of canopy cover, hardwood basal area, and understory de nsity. Overall, the detection rates of nuthatches were low (19% of points s urveyed) and no nuthatches were detected in stands before thinning. Nuthatc hes were more than three times as likely to be detected within survey point s containing snags compared to those that did not. However, snag density di d not vary significantly between stand ages. These patterns suggest that nu thatch distribution within stands may be influenced by snag distribution bu t that distribution among stands may be determined by the density and heigh t of understory vegetation.