Bird-Friendly BMP’s for Bottomland Forest in the Carolinas Birds and People on Common Ground
Typical Hardwood Management Historically we’ve left as is… or done large harvests followed by natural regeneration
Small Patch Clearcut 2-10 acres with <10% of entire bottomland in regenerative state Feathered edges necessary if thinning does not accompany clearing
“String of Pearls”
Spokes of a Wheel
Example – Silver Bluff Audubon Center 90 acre stand Homogenous stand condition 25 year old stand Mature forest function – 95% canopy closure Prescription Regenerate 10% of stand using patch cut(s) 15 year entry cycle 135 year rotation
Feathered edge of a small patch opening
Brown-headed Cowbird All things equal Thickets as far interior as possible Prolific! One female can Lay as many as 40 eggs a season In other birds nests! Nest parasites that grow larger And compete for adoptamom’s resources
Thicket example 1
Thicket example 2
Hardwood thinning Ideally we want to thin down to 60-70% canopy closure Tree selection can be done to leave better species composition for economics or mast production
95% Canopy Closure
60% Canopy Closure
Epicormic Branching Is a problem that can occur when too much sunlight is allowed into a stand. While epicormic branching can hinder log quality, we feel that a conservative thinning will close canopy quickly enough to avoid this concern.
So how do we decide where? Often times it is best to mimic mother nature! Consider invasive species
Tornado Damage
Hurricane Damage
Ideal Silver Bluff Location Since we get to choose where we put our thickets, we can pick places that naturally grow the types of understory we want!
Ideal Four Holes Swamp Location Ironwood, Sweet Gum, Palmetto, Loblolly Pine, Water and Swamp Chestnut Oaks, Green Ash, American Elm, Hawthorne, Switch Cane, and Persimmon Higher… less flooded areas
“Flippable” Ground Litter
Hooded Warbler Bird survey
Swainson’s Warbler 1989 post tornado this species was Prevalent on the S.B. Island and has since Moved on due to lack of habitat
National Audubon is telling me to cut TREES??? And hunt DEER??? Brandon Heitkamp Resource Manager Silver Bluff Audubon Sanctuary Norman Brunswig Executive Director Audubon South Carolina