Modeling Potential Changes in Rare Species Habitat from Planned Timber Harvest in Minnesota, USA

Tyler S. Gifford; John M. Zobel; Lindsey M. Shartell

doi:10.3390/f13020216

Modeling Potential Changes in Rare Species Habitat from Planned Timber Harvest in Minnesota, USA

Tyler S. Gifford, John M. Zobel, Lindsey M. Shartell

Forest Resources

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

In 2018, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conducted the Sustainable Timber Harvest Analysis that resulted in the 10-year Stand Exam List (SEL). The SEL includes stands that will be assessed for potential management action from 2021 to 2030, but the location, number, and impact of stands actually harvested remains unknown. This study sought to use modeling to assess potential habitat changes from the SEL for five threatened, endangered, or special concern wildlife species. Three simulation scenarios captured the potential range of harvest from the SEL, and the Wildlife Habitat Indicator for Native Genera and Species model assessed associated habitat changes. The most realistic simulation scenario resulted in statistically insignificant habitat changes of less than ±6%, while two scenarios providing the upper and lower extremes of harvest resulted in statistically significant changes for one species each. Scenarios that resulted in less harvest and more mature forests benefited the five species, reflecting their habitat preferences. The tempering of habitat change values in the most realistic simulation scenario provides evidence for forest management tradeoffs between different wildlife species habitat requirements, as well as other forest resource management objectives.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	216
Journal	Forests
Volume	13
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/f13020216
State	Published - Feb 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funding: This research was funded by the MN DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife, the MN DNR Nongame Wildlife Program, and the Wildlife Restoration (Pittman-Robertson) Program under MN DNR Grant 1929B SWIFT #181821. This work was also supported by the Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station and National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, McIntire Stennis capacity grant #1020087. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Keywords

Endangered
Simulations
Special concern species
Sustainable harvest
Threatened
Wildlife habitat modeling

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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abstract = "In 2018, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conducted the Sustainable Timber Harvest Analysis that resulted in the 10-year Stand Exam List (SEL). The SEL includes stands that will be assessed for potential management action from 2021 to 2030, but the location, number, and impact of stands actually harvested remains unknown. This study sought to use modeling to assess potential habitat changes from the SEL for five threatened, endangered, or special concern wildlife species. Three simulation scenarios captured the potential range of harvest from the SEL, and the Wildlife Habitat Indicator for Native Genera and Species model assessed associated habitat changes. The most realistic simulation scenario resulted in statistically insignificant habitat changes of less than ±6%, while two scenarios providing the upper and lower extremes of harvest resulted in statistically significant changes for one species each. Scenarios that resulted in less harvest and more mature forests benefited the five species, reflecting their habitat preferences. The tempering of habitat change values in the most realistic simulation scenario provides evidence for forest management tradeoffs between different wildlife species habitat requirements, as well as other forest resource management objectives.",

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Modeling Potential Changes in Rare Species Habitat from Planned Timber Harvest in Minnesota, USA

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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