Short-term responses of ground-active beetles to alternative silvicultural systems in the Warra Silvicultural Systems Trial,Tasmania, Australia

The Warra Silvicultural Systems Trial (SST) in Tasmania, Australia provides a framework for investigating the responses of beetles (Order: Coleoptera) to three alternative systems in lowland wet eucalypt forest: aggregated retention; dispersed retention; and understorey islands retained in clearfelled areas. Beetles from three families known to be sensitive to forest management, the families Carabidae (ground-beetles), Curculionidae (weevils) and Leiodidae (fungus-beetles), were collected with pitfall traps prior to harvest, and in the first and third years post-harvest. The retained aggregates in the aggregated retention system maintained beetle assemblages reasonably typical of mature forests, at least in these early years following harvesting. These aggregates appear to provide a stable habitat, with similar species composition in the first and third years post-harvest. In contrast, the harvested areas of the aggregated retention system contained low numbers of beetle species affiliated with mature forest, as did the understorey islands and the dispersed retention system. Relative to clearfelling, all alternative silvicultural systems appeared to be of some benefit to beetles affiliated with mature forest, but aggregated retention retained far greater numbers of these beetles compared to the other systems in Tasmanian wet eucalypt forest.     

Colonisation of clearfelled coupes by rainforest tree species from mature mixed forest edges, Tasmania, Australia

Mixed forest, containing a eucalypt overstorey and an understorey of rainforest tree species, accounts for approximately 20% (195,000 ha) of Tasmania's wet eucalypt forest. In wood production areas it is typically clearfelled, burnt and then sown with eucalypt seed. This management removes virtually all standing seed sources within the coupe, so that recolonisation of coupes by rainforest tree species depends largely on seed sources located at the coupe edges. We quantified the influence of mature mixed forest edges on rainforest regeneration following clearfelling by modelling the change in the density of the regeneration of the four dominant rainforest tree species (Nothofagus cunninghamii, Atherosperma moschatum, Phyllocladus aspleniifolius and Eucryphia lucida) with increasing distance from forest edge. We also assessed the influence on rainforest tree regeneration of prevailing wind direction, age of regeneration, characteristics of the mature edge vegetation and of the competing regenerating vegetation within the coupe. Distance from edge and age of coupe were highly significant (p < 0.01) effects in each of the species models. We found that the abundance of regeneration declined with increasing distance from edge for all four rainforest tree species, and with the exception of A. moschatum regeneration, increased with coupe age up to the age of 15 years. The abundance of N. cunninghamii and E. lucida, which are species with restricted seed dispersal, declined most steeply with increasing distance from the edge. A. moschatum, which is a species with the potential for long distance seed dispersal by wind, was more abundant than N. cunninghamii and E. lucida at distances greater than 20 m from coupe edges. More than 500 seedlings ha⁻¹ were present at all distances from coupe edge for P. aspleniifolius, reflecting its capacity to germinate after disturbance from soil-stored and bird-dispersed seed. There were no significant differences in seedling density upwind or downwind of coupe edges, although the potential for dense regeneration of N. cunninghamii and E. lucida and for long distance dispersal of A. moschatum appeared to be greatest downwind of edges. Other variables that significantly affected the abundance of regeneration were the height of rainforest tree species in the edge vegetation (N. cunninghamii model), the cover of rainforest tree species in the edge vegetation (A. moschatum model) and the cover of competing eucalypt regeneration within the coupe (P. aspleniifolius model). The proportion of rainforest tree species that regenerated vegetatively was small (3.1%). We concluded that management which maintains mature mixed forest edges, or patches of mature forest within coupes, is likely to result in greater levels of rainforest regeneration and a more rapid shift towards pre-harvest composition following logging. We use our results to demonstrate that variable retention harvesting systems, such as aggregated retention or stripfelling, which reduce the distance to rainforest seed source, would result in a greater abundance of rainforest regeneration over a larger proportion of the coupe than current clearfell, burn and sow silviculture.     

Alternative silvicultural practices with variable retention improve bird conservation in managed South Patagonian forests

Alternative silvicultural approaches to timber management, such as regeneration treatments with different degrees of stand retention, may mitigate negative effects of clear-cutting or shelterwood cuts in forested ecosystems, including changes in old-growth forest bird communities. The aims of this work were: (a) to compare bird species richness and densities among different silvicultural designs with variable retention (dispersed and/or aggregated) and unmanaged primary forests, and (b) to assess temporal changes at community and species levels before and after treatments. A baseline avian survey was conducted prior to harvesting to evaluate canopy gap presence and forest stand site quality influences. Subsequent to harvesting, data on bird species richness and density were collected by point-count sampling during the summer season for 5 consecutive years (4 treatments × 5 years × 6 sampling points × 5 counts). Bird species richness and density (15 species and 9.2 individuals ha⁻¹) did not change significantly with forest site quality of the stands and canopy gap presence in unmanaged forests. However, both variables were significantly modified in managed forests, increasing over time to 18 species and reaching to 39 individuals ha⁻¹. Inside the aggregated retention, bird communities were more similar to unmanaged primary forests than those observed within the dispersed retention or in clear-cuts. Opting for a regeneration method with dispersed and aggregated retention has great potential for managing birds in Nothofagus pumilio forests. This method retained enough vegetation structure in a stand to permit the establishment of early successional birds (at least in dispersed retention), and to maintain the bird species of old-growth forests which could persisted in the retention aggregates.     

Partial cutting in mixedwood stands: Effects of treatment configuration and intensity on stand structure,regeneration, and tree mortality

In temperate and boreal mixedwood forests of eastern North America, partial disturbances such as insect outbreaks and gap dynamics result in the development of irregular forest structures. From a forest ecosystem management perspective, management of these forests should therefore include silvicultural regimes that incorporate medium- to high-retention harvesting. We present 12-year results of a field experiment undertaken to evaluate the effects of variable retention harvesting on stand structure, recruitment, and mortality. Treatments were gap harvesting (GAP), diameter-limit harvesting (DL), careful logging (CL), and careful logging followed by scarification (CL + SCAR), and an unharvested control. Although post-harvest basal area in the GAP treatment was significantly lower than that of controls, it maintained a diameter distribution profile and densities of balsam fir regeneration similar to those of pre-harvest conditions. Lower retention treatments (DL, CL, and CL + SCAR) tended to favor regeneration of pioneer, shade-intolerant species. Except for black spruce (for which mortality was highest in DL), stem mortality was similar among harvesting treatments. From an ecosystem management perspective, this study suggests that gap harvesting can maintain, in the short term, forest stand composition and structure similar to unharvested forests, and could be used where management objectives include the maintenance of late successional forest conditions.     

An examination of stocking and early growth in the Warra silvicultural systems trial confirms the importance of a burnt seedbed for vigorous regeneration in Eucalyptus obliqua forest

Clearfelling of wet eucalypt forest followed by high intensity burning and aerial sowing, a silvicultural system designed to mimic the natural dynamic of sporadic regeneration following cataclysmic disturbance, has attracted criticism for not maintaining the structural diversity that is associated with natural disturbance. A silvicultural systems trial was established at the Warra Long-Term Ecological Research site in southern Tasmania to explore alternatives to clearfelling in tall wet eucalypt forest. Stocking, density and growth of the seedling regeneration were monitored for up to 3 years after harvesting and regeneration treatments were applied from 1998 to 2007. The treatments were clearfell with understorey islands, a patchfell, stripfell, dispersed retention, aggregated retention, and single-tree/small-group selection. High intensity burning, low intensity burning and no burning were variously applied as part of these treatments.     

Effects of single-tree selection harvesting on hymenopteran and saproxylic insect assemblages in the canopy and understory of northern temperate forests

Insects respond to changes in microhabitat caused by canopy disturbance, and thus can be used to examine the ecological impacts of harvesting. Single-tree selection harvesting is the most common silvicultural system used to emulate local small-scale natural disturbance and maintain uneven-aged forest structure in temperate forests. Here, we test for differences in richness, abundance, and composition of hymenopteran and saproxylic insect assemblages at four different taxon levels (selected insect orders; and all hymenopteran families, and braconid subfamilies and morphospecies) between the canopy and understory of unharvested and single-tree selection harvested sites in a northern temperate forest from central Canada. Harvesting had no effect on insect assemblage richness, composition or abundance at the three highest taxon levels (order, family and subfamily). Similarly, richness and abundance at the lowest-taxon level (braconid morphospecies) were similar, although composition differed slightly between unharvested and harvested stands. Insect assemblages were vertically stratified, with generally higher abundance (for Diptera, Hymenoptera, some hymenopteran families and braconid subfamilies) and richness (for braconid morphospecies) in the understory than the canopy. In particular, composition of the braconid morphospecies assemblage showed relatively low similarity between the understory and canopy. Single-tree selection harvesting appears to influ-ence wood-associated insect taxa only subtly through small changes in community composition at the lowest taxon level, and thus is recommended as a conservative approach for managing these northern temperate forests.     

Small mammals and retention islands: An experimental study of animal response to alternative logging practices

The integration of forest biodiversity conservation with wood production is a key part of ecologically sustainable forest management. This can be a particular challenge at the stand-level when high-intensity silvicultural systems like clearfelling are employed. Alternative logging practices to clearfelling that result in partial stand retention are being widely promoted in many parts of the world. We present new findings from a replicated block experiment designed to examine the responses of small terrestrial mammals to the retention of islands of forest within otherwise clearfelled harvest units. Our experiment was conducted in the Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans F. Muell) forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria, south-eastern Australia. We quantified the effects of four treatments on small terrestrial mammal abundance: (1) an uncut (‘control’) area of forest; (2) a 1.5 ha retained island within an otherwise clearfelled area; (3) three 0.5 ha retained ‘islands’ within an otherwise clearfelled area; and (4) a traditionally clearfelled area of forest, over the different stages of harvesting operations from pre-cut to post-cut to post-burn.     

Effect of stand age on bird communities in late-successional Macedonian pine forests in Bulgaria

To gain insight into the question of which vegetation characteristics have the most influence on avian assemblages in late-successional forests, the habitat preferences of bird-guilds in old-growth endemic forests of Macedonian pine were studied over 3 years in the Pirin National Park, Bulgaria. Bird–habitat relationships were investigated by comparing vegetation characteristics, and bird species richness, diversity, abundance, and guild structure of birds (determined according to food type, foraging and nesting sites) between mature (60–100 years old) and over-mature (>120 years old) Macedonian pine forest stands. Studied forest age-classes differed mainly by the density, height and diameter of trees, and the amount of dead wood. The first one of these parameters decreased and the latter two parameters increased with the forest succession. The difference in the vegetation structure affected the abundance of bird-guilds and thus, the overall bird abundance and the structure of avian assemblages within Macedonian pine forests. There was no significant difference in bird diversity among studied forest age-classes, but the overall bird abundance increased with forest maturation. Analyzed by study plots, species richness was higher in over-mature forests, but at cluster level, there was no significant difference between mature and over-mature forest age-classes. Half of the studied (insectivorous, hole- and ground-nesters, bark- and canopy-foraging bird species) guilds were more abundant in over-mature forests, while there was no bird-guild exhibiting a preference for mature forest stands. The abundances of bird-guilds were correlated with tree height, diameter at breast height and the amount of dead wood between the studied forest age-classes and this might explain their preferences for over-mature pine forests. Therefore, for future sustainable management of these endemic forests and the conservation of their avifauna, efforts should focus on protecting the remaining native old-growth forest stands and the importance of the structure of Macedonian pine forests on their bird assemblages should be considered in forestry practices.     

From clearfell coupe to old-growth forest: Succession of bird assemblages in Tasmanian lowland wet eucalypt forests

As forests undergo succession after major disturbance events their assemblages of birds also change. Thus the frequency and extent of wildfire or clearfelling in the landscape can potentially affect the species-richness and abundance of forest birds. We used a chronosequence approach to investigate succession of bird communities in Tasmanian lowland wet eucalypt forest, from shortly after disturbance through to old-growth forest aged approximately 200–250 years. The number of native bird species recorded per survey per site increased as a linear function of stand-age. However, succession did not involve a unidirectional transition in assemblage-composition because of differences in successional responses among individual species and also among guilds of birds that mostly inhabited different strata of the forest. This was exemplified by the crescent honeyeater, which was observed most frequently in the youngest (6–8 years) and oldest (200–250 years) forests that we surveyed, and by the superb lyrebird (introduced to Tasmania from mainland south-eastern Australia) which favoured mid-aged regrowth (42–43 years) after clearfelling. Forests aged 200–250 years had the greatest richness-per-survey of those native species that were observed mostly in the lower layer or mid-layer. However, the greatest richness-per-survey of canopy-dwelling species and the highest native species-richness across the survey period were found in forests aged around 150 years. Younger regrowth was generally less rich in birds, although regrowth in the first decade after clearfelling was the only seral stage inhabited by superb fairy-wrens. These results suggest that, in the Tasmanian lowland wet eucalypt forest landscape, species-richness of birds may be greatest when old-growth forest is interspersed with young regrowth forests. Hence for bird conservation, a challenge is to ensure that old-growth forest continues to prevail in the production forest landscape.     

Threshold effects of variable retention harvesting on understory plant communities in the boreal mixedwood forest

We studied the effects of six levels of dispersed green-tree retention (GTR) harvesting (clearcut (0%), 10%, 20%, 50%, and 75%, and unharvested reference (100%)) on understory plant communities in the 8th growing season post-harvest in the mixedwood boreal forest in northwestern Alberta. For the partial harvest treatments (10%, 20%, 50%, 75%) sample plots were located in the partially harvested (retention) strips as well as in the intervening machine corridors used by the harvesting equipment. The understory plant community was significantly influenced by the gradient of retention level. The cover of understory vegetation, especially graminoids, increased with increasing harvesting intensity for the retention strips and overall considering both plots types. Species richness was unaffected by retention level but did decrease as tree density increased. Lower levels of retention lead to increased abundance of early successional, shade-intolerant species. The results suggest a threshold in understory response to GTR harvesting between the 10% and 20% retention treatments. In terms of understory cover and composition, machine corridors within partially harvested forests resembled clearcuts. The results suggest that retaining more than 10% during GTR harvesting could have significant benefits in terms of maintaining understory plant communities more similar to unharvested reference forest.     

The relationship between shelterwood cuts and crown thinnings and the abundance and distribution of birds in a southern New England forest

Forest regeneration methods such as shelterwood treatments have been shown to substantially increase the diversity of bird species, specifically of species that prefer early seral forests, now rare in the eastern United States. Stand improvement techniques such as thinnings have also been found to increase avian diversity under some conditions. A sustainably managed forest, however, must simultaneously apply regenerative harvesting with stand improvements, and the effect of such treatment combinations on bird community composition is not clear. We compared bird distribution and abundance on shelterwood cuts, crown thinnings, and unmanaged stands at the Yale Myers Forest, a large privately owned and actively managed forest in southern New England. Bird abundance and species diversity was highest in shelterwood cuts and lowest in unmanaged forest, with thinnings being intermediary. Different suites of species inhabited the three treatments, with 18 of 49 common species differing significantly in their abundances between treatments. Characteristics of the vegetation that were directly influenced by silvicultural intervention, including canopy openness, seedling regeneration and vertical structural diversity, appeared to be the dominant drivers of bird abundance. The abundances of some species or groups of species were correlated with the number of trees retained in the implementation of the forestry practices. In conjunction with the conservation of a variety of mature forest habitats, regenerative cuts and stand improvement techniques can be used together to sustain a diverse assemblage of bird species.     

Decline in tree-fern abundance after clearfell harvesting

Common and widespread plant species can change in abundance as a result of timber harvesting practices, with potentially broad effects on an ecosystem. Yet few studies have quantified such changes and their effects and as a result, subsequent management can be poorly defined. Tree-ferns are among a number of vegetative resprouters that have been shown to decline in abundance after clearfelling in Victorian Wet Forest. This study quantifies the initial survival of two common species of tree fern, Dicksonia antarctica and Cyathea australis, on six Wet Forest coupes in the Victorian Central Highlands, south-eastern Australia. Sixteen percent of the 2391 tree-ferns monitored remained alive 1 year after clearfelling and seedbed preparation, with only 5% remaining in an upright position. Mortality was still increasing up to 6 years after clearfell harvesting, particularly for C. australis. Sixty-seven percent of D. antarctica surviving to 1 year post-harvest were still alive after 4 or 6 years, whereas only 35% of C. australis survived this period. Low tree-fern survival is likely to result in declines in the abundance of other species that rely directly on tree-ferns for habitat. The altered forest structure resulting from reduced tree-fern numbers will affect local microclimates and forest processes. As tree-fern recruitment is low and growth rates are slow, these changes are likely to be long term. Survival of individuals through harvesting operations is crucial to the maintenance of the role of tree-ferns as a keystone species in Wet Forests and simple modifications to current practices could increase the survival of tree-ferns in clearfelled areas.     

Silvicultural treatments enhance growth rates of future crop trees in a tropical dry forest

Silvicultural treatments are often needed in selectively logged tropical forest to enhance the growth rates of many commercial tree species and, consequently, for recovering a larger proportion of the initial volume harvested over the next cutting cycle. The available data in the literature suggest, however, that the effect of silvicultural treatments on tree growth is smaller in dry forests than in humid forest tree species. In this study, we analyze the effect of logging and application of additional silvicultural treatments (liana cutting and girdling of competing trees) on the growth rates of future crop trees (FCTs; i.e., trees of current and potentially commercial timber species with adequate form and apparent growth potential). The study was carried out in a tropical dry forest in Bolivia where a set of 21.25-ha plots were monitored for 4 years post-logging. Plots received one of four treatments that varied in intensity of both logging and silvicultural treatments as follows: normal (reduced-impact) logging; normal logging and low-intensity silviculture; increased logging intensity and high-intensity silviculture; and, unlogged controls. The silvicultural treatments applied to FCTs involved liberation from lianas and overtopping trees. Results showed that rates of FCT stem diameter growth increased with light availability, logging intensity, and intensity of silvicultural treatments, and decrease with liana infestation degree. Growth rate increment was larger in the light and intensive silvicultural treatment (22–27%). Long-lived pioneer species showed the strongest response to intensive silviculture (50% increase) followed by total shade-tolerant species (24%) and partial shade-tolerant species (10%). While reduced-impact logging is often not sufficient to guarantee the sustainability of timber yields, application of silvicultural treatments that substantially enhanced the growth rates of FCTs will help move the management of these forests closer to the goal of sustained yield.     

Songbird response to experimental retention harvesting in red pine (Pinus resinosa) forests

Traditional harvesting practices frequently result in simplification of the structure and composition within managed forest stands in comparison to their natural counterparts. In particular, loss of heterogeneity within stands may pose a problem for maintaining biodiversity in perpetuity. In this study, we survey breeding bird diversity and abundance in response to different spatial harvesting patterns in mature red pine forests located on the Chippewa National Forest of northern Minnesota, USA. Treatments are designed to increase structural complexity over time and include three overstory manipulations (dispersed retention, aggregate retention with small gaps, and aggregate retention with large gaps), one understory manipulation (brush removal), and controls (no harvesting, and/or no brush removal). In 2003, the first breeding season following the harvest, we found little difference in bird community composition between control and treatment stands. In 2005, the third breeding season following harvest, avian abundance, richness, and diversity were all greater within treatments. Species associated with edge, shrub, and early successional habitats generally show positive response to treatments (e.g. Chestnut-sided Warbler [Dendroica pensylvanica], Mourning Warbler [Oporornis philadelphia], Chipping Sparrow [Spizella passerine]), as do some species associated with mature forest (e.g., Pine Warbler [Dendroica pinus], Rose-breasted Grosbeak [Pheucticus ludovicianus]). Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla) and Black-throated Green Warblers (Dendroica virens) were more abundant in control stands. There are, as of yet, no discernable differences in avian community composition among the three overstory treatments or between the single understory treatment and the understory control, but differences are expected as the treatments diversify due to understory development. While overstory retention harvests provide habitat for a diverse and abundant bird community, the temporal divergence in avian community composition that we observed between treatment and control stands reveals the importance of uncut, mature red pine forest as a component of a biodiverse landscape.     

Habitat use and nest success of scrub-shrub birds in wildlife and silvicultural openings in western Massachusetts,USA

Many conservationists are concerned about reports of declining populations of scrub-shrub birds. Wildlife opening management, involving repeatedly burning or mechanically treating early-successional stands, is one strategy for creating habitat for these species, but this practice is costly. Some silvicultural treatments also create scrub-shrub habitat and have the advantage of potentially generating revenue, but the relative effectiveness of wildlife opening management and silviculture for creating bird habitat is not known. During 2004 and 2005, we compared scrub-shrub bird abundance, nest success, and habitat characteristics between wildlife and silvicultural openings in western Massachusetts to determine whether the habitats created by these practices are equivalent for birds. We recorded 1927 detections of 31 scrub-shrub bird species during the course of the study and monitored 368 nests. We found that although most species were present in both treatments, many differed in abundance between wildlife and silvicultural openings, including several species of high conservation concern. These differences were attributable to differences in habitat characteristics between treatments. The overall probability of a nest surviving to fledging was 0.43, and did not differ between wildlife and silvicultural openings. Our results indicate that the habitat quality of wildlife and silvicultural openings is not equivalent for scrub-shrub birds, but the two management approaches serve as complementary strategies for maintaining these declining species.     

Community and species responses by birds to group retention in a coastal temperate forest on Vancouver Island,British Columbia

Group retention is a forest harvesting technique designed to sustain biodiversity and mitigate concerns regarding clearcut logging. It is characterized by retained forest patches that vary in number, size, spatial arrangement, and habitat attributes. We used birds to compare community composition and species abundance among clearcut, group retention, and uncut control forest treatments, and evaluated species’ responses to percentage retention. The bird community in group retention was more similar to that in control forests than it was to the community in clearcuts. The probability of occurrence for many bird species typical of uncut control forests was related positively to percentage retention. A preliminary analysis of plot-level effects (i.e., amount of forest sampled) suggests that patch size may be more important than total amount of retention.     

Is generalisation of uneven-aged management in mountain forests the key to improve biodiversity conservation within forest landscape mosaics?

Context

Uneven-aged management systems based on selection silviculture have become popular in European mountain forests and progressively replace other silvicultural practices. In time, this trend could lead to a homogenisation of the forest mosaic with consequences on structural indices recognised as beneficial to forest biodiversity.

Aims

This study was conducted to investigate the potential effects of a generalisation of the selection silvicultural system on structural diversity in the forest landscape with consequences for forest biodiversity conservation.

Methods

We compared four structural indices (tree species richness, diameter heterogeneity, deadwood volume and basal area of mature trees) in five different stand types typical of the northern French Alps, using forest plot data in the Vercors mountain range. Through virtual landscape simulations, we then calculated predicted mean proportions of stand types under two different conservation strategies: (i) maximising mean index values at the landscape level and (ii) maximising the number of plots in the landscape with index values above given thresholds.

Results

Multi-staged forests did not maximise all indices, the best solution being to combine the five stand types in uneven proportions to improve biodiversity conservation.

Conclusion

The expansion of selection silviculture in European heterogeneous forest landscapes could enhance biodiversity conservation if other stand types with complementary structural characteristics are maintained.     

关于加强森林培育学理论研究的探讨

随着科学发展和社会对森林需求的增加, 加强森林培育学理论研究显得十分必要, 但是如何通过开展理论研究, 以便最终形成能够有效指导森林培育技术的理论体系, 目前尚缺乏广泛讨论和研究。为此, 文中提出以系统科学的思想和方法为指导, 从森林系统的起源、立地条件与森林生长的相互作用关系、森林系统的功能及其实现基础、森林系统的动态变化规律及森林培育技术对森林最终目标的影响等方面开展研究。随着研究在深度和广度的展开, 森林培育学的理论体系定会逐渐形成和完善。     

Post-breeding bird responses to canopy tree retention, stand size, and edge in regenerating Appalachian hardwood stands

Avian use of even-aged timber harvests is likely affected by stand attributes such as size, amount of edge, and retained basal area, all characteristics that can easily be manipulated in timber harvesting plans. However, few studies have examined their effects during the post-breeding period. We studied the impacts of clearcut, low-leave two-age, and high-leave two-age harvesting on post-breeding birds using transect sampling and mist-netting in north-central West Virginia. In our approach, we studied the effects of these harvest types as well as stand size and edge on species characteristic of both early-successional and mature forest habitats. In 2005-2006, 13 stands ranging from 4 to 10 years post-harvest and 4-21 ha in size were sampled from late June through mid-August. Capture rates and relative abundance were similar among treatments for generalist birds. Early-successional birds had the lowest capture rates and fewer species (∼30% lower), and late-successional birds reached their highest abundance and species totals (double the other treatments) in high-leave two-age stands. Area sensitivity was evident for all breeding habitat groups. Both generalist and late-successional bird captures were negatively related to stand size, but these groups showed no clear edge effects. Mean relative abundance decreased to nearly zero for the latter group in the largest stands. In contrast, early-successional species tended to use stand interiors more often and responded positively to stand size. Capture rates for this group tripled as stand size increased from 4 to 21 ha. Few birds in the forest periphery responded to harvest edge types despite within-stand edge effects evident for several species. To create suitable habitat for early-successional birds, large, non-linear openings with a low retained basal area are ideal, while smaller harvests and increased residual tree retention would provide habitat for more late-successional birds post-breeding. Although our study has identified habitat use patterns for different species in timber harvests, understanding habitat-specific bird survival is needed to help determine the quality of silvicultural harvests for post-breeding birds.