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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 35(2)

Conservation of birds in evergreen Chilean forests: the effect of partial cutting systems

Pablo M. Vergara A C and Roberto P. Schlatter B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Departamento de Ingeniería Geográfica, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Av. Lib. B. O’Higgins 3363, Casilla 347, Santiago, Chile.

B Instituto de Zoología, Universidad Austral de Chile, Isla Teja, Valdivia, Chile.

C Corresponding author. Email: pmvergar@uc.cl

Wildlife Research 35(2) 134-139 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR07009
Submitted: 16 January 2007  Accepted: 11 March 2008   Published: 21 April 2008

Abstract

Current legislation in Chile allows two alternative regeneration methods for evergreen forest: heavy shelterwood (retaining 30% of the basal area at the time of regeneration harvest) and strip cutting. We compared bird abundance among four stands: two evergreen forest stands managed with these cutting systems, an undisturbed stand and a light shelterwood stand (with a retention level of 65%). Eight out of 15 species, in addition to total bird abundance, were affected by partial cutting. Light shelterwood tended to be the treatment with the smaller negative effect on bird abundance, reducing the abundance of only two species, possibly due to the loss of the understorey vegetation. Nevertheless, the abundance of three species of trunk and foliage gleaners, as well as total bird abundance, decreased only in the heavy shelterwood and the strip cut stands. Further, the abundance of trunk and foliage gleaners was greater in the light shelterwood stand than in the other cutting stands, indicating that these species are particularly sensitive to partial cutting with low retention levels. Therefore, in order to reduce the detrimental effect of partial cutting systems on the evergreen forest birds, we suggest the use of shelterwood cutting with a retention level higher than 50% of the standing basal area at the time of the regeneration harvest.


Acknowledgements

This study was supported by FONDECYT (project N° 3060083). We thank C. Donoso, M. A. Aguilar, and M. Osorio (Universidad Austral de Chile) for suggestions and help with this work. We thank Johannes Horstmann for suggestions and improvements in English usage.


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