Bird Density and Species Richness in Interior British Columbia tools to inform conservation value and risk assessment in forestry

Forest companies would like to reduce the number of birds, eggs, and nests that are negatively affected by logging. They are particularly interested in reducing impacts on species at risk. The problem is that we dont have detailed knowledge of where every bird lives, so its difficult to make educated choices about where and how much forest to harvest. This research will help provide a solution to this problem. We can relate bird data to landscape and forest characteristics like elevation, forest age, and forest height to understand which forest types have the most birds. Then we can map where birds are most likely to live, identifying areas with more species and more birds. This information will be provided to the partner organizations and other forest companies to ultimately help develop logging plans that reduce accidental destruction of bird nests and eggs.

Faculty Supervisor:

Erin Bayne

Student:

Nicole Barker

Partner:

BC Council of Forest Industries

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Natural resources

University:

Program: