Systematic Review of Bird Response to Privately-Owned, Managed Pine Stands in the Southeastern U.S.

Abstract

The southeastern U.S. is widely known as a bastion of privately-owned, managed pine (Pinus spp.) forests, comprised primarily of native pine species. The region supports high levels of biodiversity, but also a multi-billion-dollar forest products economy critical to socioeconomic stability of rural areas. We conducted a systematic review of studies focused exclusively on avifaunal associations within privately-owned, managed pine landscapes in the southeastern U.S. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis framework to examine all available studies that evaluated aspects of avian diversity, abundance, and community composition across a suite of forest types, stand ages, and forest management practices within southeastern managed pine systems in the last 70 years. We screened 160 records through primary database searches, and 1696 secondary records from supplemental searches and other sources, and identified 103 relevant articles for inclusion. As expected, although there is no single forest management practice that best provides for avian communities, we found practices that: (1) involve prudent site preparation; (2) promote forest thinning and intermediate management practices; (3) provide non-pine vegetative cover; (4) supply fine- and meso-filter resources such as retained snags and coarse woody debris; and (5) promote heterogeneity in cover types, largely enhanced value of southeastern managed pine systems to avian communities. Overall, it appears that avian communities can be best maintained by providing a diverse mosaic of forest conditions in managed pine landscapes. Key research gaps include improving understanding avian population demographics, such as survival, reproduction, and dispersal.