Bird and mammal diversity on woody biomass plantations in North America

doi:10.1016/S0961-9534(97)10076-9

Biomass and Bioenergy

Volume 14, Issue 4, 1 April 1998, Pages 395-402

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0961-9534(97)10076-9 Get rights and content

Abstract

In this paper, recent studies of birds and small mammals inhabiting Populus (hybrid poplar and cottonwood) plantations are summarized. Plantations provide habitat at least as favorable for native birds and mammals (as evidenced by overall density, species richness, and species composition) as agricultural croplands. However, by the same measures, plantation habitat is poorer quality than natural or semi-natural forest. Bird and small mammal species composition on plantations is a mixture of openland (crop and grassland) and forest species that is unique compared to other nearby habitats, and does not resemble that of either grasslands or forests. Plantations may not function as forest at either habitat or landscape scales. For highly mobile animals such as birds, landscape composition plays a central role in determining occupancy of plantations. For less mobile organisms, within-plantation habitat quality is more critical. Sources of non-uniformity in plantation vegetation are important determinants of occupancy. Although unplanned variation in vegetation structure occurs on some plantations, assuring the presence of heterogeneity may require specific planning. There is no evidence of altered population interactions (nest predation or parasitism, small-mammal population performance, or interchange among local populations) as a result of plantation establishment.

Introduction

The development of large-scale plantations of short-rotation, fast-growing trees shows promise for producing woody biomass for energy or fiber. At extensive scales,[1]this development would entail significant changes in land use that have the potential to substantially alter habitats for biological organisms.2, 3, 4, 5Research on production aspects of woody biomass crops has been proceeding for several years.6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12However, published studies of habitat values and biological diversity on dedicated biomass plantations in North America are few13, 14, 15, 16and relatively recent. Thus, understanding of such non-production-related biological issues is only beginning, even though commercial-scale plantations exist and further large-scale demonstration projects are underway. Information on habitat provided by biomass plantations is essential to understand the range of possible environmental effects (positive or negative) of this development, and for improving the management of plantations and plantation networks.

Major biodiversity issues surrounding development of dedicated biomass sources have been identified, primarily from the energy perspective.2, 3, 4, 14, 17In this paper, major findings of recent biodiversity studies on woody biomass plantations in North America are summarized. The authors rely primarily on their studies, both published14, 15, 16and unpublished, since 1992 of small mammals and birds on Populus (hybrid poplar and cottonwood) plantations in three regions. The present work constitutes virtually all of the biodiversity studies specifically on woody biomass plantations in North America.

Section snippets

Background and study areas

Since 1992, songbirds on Populus plantations in the upper midwest (28 plantations in Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota; studies by JMH and GJN), eastern Ontario (11 plantations; studies by WH), and the Pacific Northwest (Oregon and Washington; nine plantations; studies by WH) have been studied. Small mammals on a subset of the sites in the upper midwest (26 plantations; studies by DPC) have also been studied. Birds and mammals on plantations and adjacent and nearby land-use types using a

Abundance and species richness on plantations and adjacent land uses

Populus plantations are used extensively by both birds and small mammals, with high densities in some instances.14, 16In the midwest, abundance and number of species are lower in plantations than in forests and shrublands for both birds and mammals, and lower than in grasslands for mammals.14, 16Bird and mammal abundance and species richness are lower on non-hay croplands than on plantations.14, 16Birds may be especially attracted to plantations in otherwise open, agricultural landscapes.[14]In

Conclusions

As plantations of a variety of sizes, ages, intensities of management, and landscape contexts become available, it will be imperative that biodiversity studies continue. These studies have shown considerable variation in density and species composition of birds and mammals inhabiting plantations. Continuing research is needed to refine current understanding of factors accounting for this variation. Understanding of landscape patterns is especially in need of attention, because this information

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the North Central Forest Experiment Station of the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Energy through the Biofuels Feedstock Development Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the National Audubon Society, and the University of Minnesota. The authors thank the many individuals who assisted with field work, and landowners and managers for their cooperation in providing access to plantations. They thank R. R. Buech, T. B. Wigley and an anonymous

References (30)

R.L. Graham
An analysis of the potential land base for energy crops in the coterminous United States
Biomass and Bioenergy
(1994)
J.W. Ranney et al.
Environmental considerations in energy crop production
Biomass and Bioenergy
(1994)
W.G. Hohenstein et al.
Biomass energy production in the United States: an overview
Biomass and Bioenergy
(1994)
D.P. Christian
Wintertime use of hybrid poplar plantations by medium-sized mammals and deer in the midwestern U.S.
Biomass and Bioenergy
(1997)
D.P. Christian et al.
Perspectives on biomass energy tree plantations and changes in habitat for biological organisms
Biomass and Bioenergy
(1994)
Beyea, J., Cook, J., Hall, D., Socolow, R. and Williams, R., Toward ecological guidelines for large-scale biomass...
J.H. Cook et al.
Potential impacts of biomass production in the United States on biological diversity
Ann. Rev. Energy Environ.
(1991)
J.H. Cook et al.
Toward sustainable biomass energy
Biologue
(1991)
Hansen, E. A., Moore, L., Netzer, D., Ostry, M., Phipps, H. and Zavitkovski, J., Establishing intensively cultured...
Hall, D. O. and Overend, R. P. (Eds), Biomass: Regenerable Energy. Wiley, Chichester,...

J.W. Ranney et al.

Hardwood energy crops: the technology of intensive culture

J. Forestry

(1987)

Wright, L. L., Doyle, T. W., Layton, P. A. and Ranney, J. W., Short rotation woody crops program: annual progress...

E.A. Hansen

Energy plantation in north central United States: status of research and development plantations

Energy Sources

(1991)

Hansen, E. A., Mid-rotation yields of biomass plantations in the north central United States. U.S. Department of...

Verch, R. L., Non-game breeding bird activity in an intensively cultured Populus plantation. U.S. Department of...

Cited by (65)

Bird communities reveal the ecological value of non-native Norway spruce plantations in Massachusetts, USA
2023, Forest Ecology and Management
The establishment of monoculture plantations of non-native tree species is a common practice for supplementing native timber stocks. Since native wildlife species may lack co-evolved traits needed to successfully exploit non-native tree species, non-native plantations are expected to provide inferior habitat for native biodiversity. However, some studies report that plantations may increase net biodiversity at the landscape scale by introducing novel habitats or supplementing existing natural forests. We used point counts to sample birds in 2016 and 2017 in mature Norway spruce (Picea abies) plantations in western Massachusetts, as well as representative native forest types, to evaluate bird use of these plantations relative to native forest types. Our findings showed that overall species richness for spruce plantations was similar to that of native forest habitats, and that several native conifer-dependent species (red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta canadensis), golden-crowned kinglet (Regulus satrapa), blackburnian warbler (Setophaga fusca), and brown creeper (Certhia americana) were significantly more abundant in spruce plantations relative to native deciduous, hemlock, and mixed stands. Bird species reported to associate with eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), such as blue-headed vireo (Vireo solitarious) and black-throated green warbler (Setophaga virens), were observed using spruce plantations at similar levels as eastern hemlock stands. These results demonstrate that Norway spruce plantations can provide suitable habitat for native species associated with conifers, which is significant given projected continued decline of eastern hemlock in response to the hemlock wooly adelgid (Adelges tsugae). Although large-scale conversion of native forest to plantations would likely lead to a loss in biodiversity, land managers could be justified in allowing small-scale plantations to persist without suffering negative impacts to native biodiversity.
Biodiversity in short-rotation coppice
2019, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Citation Excerpt :
Consequently, the landscape surrounding the SRC is more important to animal diversity than the characteristics of the SRC itself [53,57,59]. For example, the abundance of forest-related birds in SRC is positively correlated to the area of forest nearby [57], and only dominant small mammals from adjacent forests survive in SRC [57,78]. The species richness and abundance of birds [46,47,51,53,57,70,78], mammals [58,79], butterflies [9,70], soil mites [45], other arthropods [17,33,35,70,80] and earthworms [17] in SRC are higher than in agricultural land (i.e., annual cultivation of row crops), pasture and residual habitat (urban areas, roads, etc.), but lower than in forest, shrub land and natural grassland.
Although short-rotation coppice (SRC) is a sustainable cultivation technique, biodiversity issues keep policy makers from encouraging farmers to establish SRC. From the 47 reviewed publications of this review 91% reported on poplar or willow SRC, and 63% focused on animal diversity. The α- and β-diversity were most often studied by quantifying species richness and abundance. SRC had a positive effect on fungal diversity, which was negatively correlated to coppice rotation length, due to a higher nutrient demand after coppicing. In comparison with agricultural monocultures SRC provides a higher biodiversity, but it remains lower than that of mixed deciduous forests. Besides the planted genera and species, an understorey of generalist species similar to the previous land use develops and evolves to a forest-like understorey. At every coppice rotation the light availability changes and the planted area evolves from a bare field to a shrub-like vegetation, which later approaches a forest with a closed canopy. These changes in the plant community influence animal diversity. Bird populations similarly evolve from open-space to forest communities, continuously co-existing in shifting ratios. Arthropods and small mammals use the SRC to fulfil all of their habitat needs, while birds and large mammals only use the SRC for a limited number of resources. Recommendations for policy makers and SRC growers are provided, and areas for future research have been identified. It is concluded that introducing well-managed SRCs can enrich biodiversity in an agriculture-dominated landscape, but that SRCs most probably have a negative effect on biodiversity when introduced into a highly forested landscape.
Energy and CO<inf>2</inf> analysis of poplar and maize crops for biomass production in north Italy
2016, Renewable Energy
The rising price of fossil fuel and the increasing environmental concern encourage the use of biomasses as energy sources. Aim of this study was to compare two poplar SRC and vSRC (6 and 3 years rotation cycle) with an annual crop (maize), used for biomass production in north Italy.
The average of the biomass production was 13.9 Mg DM ha⁻¹ per year for the SRC and vSRC poplar and 19.2 Mg DM ha⁻¹ for the maize.
The energy consumption for the poplar cultivations was about 15 GJ ha⁻¹ per year, which represented only the 6% of the energy biomass product (about 257 GJ ha⁻¹ per year).
The input value of the maize was higher (26.8 GJ ha⁻¹ per year). In this case, the input value was about the 7% of the energy content in the biomass product (about 370 GJ ha⁻¹ per year).
During the vSRC cultivation an amount of 8090 kg CO₂ eq ha⁻¹ was emitted, 6420 kg CO₂ eq ha⁻¹ for the SRC and 26,370 kg CO₂ eq ha⁻¹ for the maize.
Compared to the maize, the poplar SRC (or vSRC) crops are interesting from an energetic point of view, while maize requires less manpower, but it has major problems related to the landscape biodiversity.
Balancing the environmental benefits of reforestation in agricultural regions
2015, Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics
Reforestation is an important tool for reducing or reversing biodiversity loss and mitigating climate change. However, there are many potential compromises between the structural (biodiversity) and functional (carbon sequestration and water yield) effects of reforestation, which can be affected by decisions on spatial design and establishment of plantings. We review the environmental responses to reforestation and show that manipulating the configuration of plantings (location, size, species mix and tree density) increases a range of environmental benefits. More extensive tree plantings (>10 ha) provide more habitat, and greater improvements to carbon and water cycling. Planting a mixture of native trees and shrubs is best for biodiversity, while traditional plantation species, generally non-native species, sequester C faster. Tree density can be manipulated at planting or during early development to accelerate structural maturity and to manage water yields. A diversity of habitats will be created by planting in a variety of landscape positions and by emulating the patchy distribution of forest types, which characterized many regions prior to extensive landscape transformation. Areas with shallow aquifers can be planted to reduce water pollution or avoided to maintain water yields. Reforestation should be used to build forest networks that are surrounded by low-intensity land use and that provide links within regions and between biomes. While there are adequate models for C sequestration and changes in water yields after reforestation, the quantitative understanding of changes in habitat resources and species composition is more limited. Development of spatial and temporal modelling platforms based on empirical models of structural and functional outcomes of reforestation is essential for deciding how to reconfigure agricultural regions. To build such platforms, we must quantify: (a) the influence of previous land uses, establishment methods, species mixes and interactions with adjacent land uses on environmental (particularly biodiversity) outcomes of reforestation and (b) the ways in which responses measured at the level of individual plantings scale up to watersheds and regions. Models based on this information will help widespread reforestation for carbon sequestration to improve native biodiversity, nutrient cycling and water balance at regional scales.
Identifying and managing the ecological risks of using introduced tree species in Sweden's production forestry
2013, Forest Ecology and Management
Introduced tree species are increasingly being considered for use in production forestry due to production targets, and demand for a diversity of wood products. However, prior to expanding their use, active consideration needs to be given to the breadth of potential ecological consequences associated with each introduced tree species. Ecological consequences include the invasion and modification of sensitive ecosystems, changes in habitat provision for native taxa, altered risk of pest and pathogen outbreaks, and hybridization with native con-generics. Here we review the scientific literature to assess the potential ecological consequences from expanding the use of introduced tree species within Swedish forestry. We use an interdisciplinary approach to evaluate ecological risks, and our assessment is based on the scenario that a proportion of Norway spruce (Picea abies) monocultures in southern Sweden will be replaced by monocultures of Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), hybrid aspen (Populus tremula tremuloides), or hybrid larch (Larix eurolepis/L. marschlinsii). Our results highlight that univariate consideration of the ecological consequences of exotic tree species can be highly misleading, due to the complex suite of costs, benefits, risks and uncertainties that each tree species brings to the region of introduction. We discuss our results in relation to conflicting management goals, and the lack of reversibility of some adverse ecological outcomes. We also highlight the need for assessments of ecological risk to facilitate evidence-based decision making by stakeholders. Our results provide a foundation for adaptive management programs aiming to limit the extent to which introduced tree species used in production forestry are accompanied by adverse ecological impacts.
Biofuels and Biodiversity: The Implications of Energy Sprawl
2024, Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Third Edition: Volume 1-7

View all citing articles on Scopus

View full text

Bird and mammal diversity on woody biomass plantations in North America

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Background and study areas

Abundance and species richness on plantations and adjacent land uses

Conclusions

Acknowledgements

Biomass and Bioenergy

Biomass and Bioenergy

Biomass and Bioenergy

Biomass and Bioenergy

Biomass and Bioenergy

Potential impacts of biomass production in the United States on biological diversity

Ann. Rev. Energy Environ.

Toward sustainable biomass energy

Biologue

Hardwood energy crops: the technology of intensive culture

J. Forestry

Energy plantation in north central United States: status of research and development plantations

Energy Sources