Researchers: Joan Hagar, Jim Rivers, Amy Barry

Study Objective: Evaluate the habitat potential of snags on cavity-nesting birds

Summary: Snags provide critical habitat for nearly one-third of wildlife species in forests of the Pacific Northwest, so historic declines in snags are thought to have had a strong impact on biodiversity. Using snags that were created by topping mature Douglas-fir trees (Pseudotsuga menziesii) as part of the OSU College of Forestry Integrated Research Project, we measured characteristics of 731 snags and quantified foraging and breeding use of snags by birds 25-27 years after their creation.

Publications:

• Barry, A. M. 2017. Created snag dynamics and influence on cavity-nesting bird communities over 25 years in Western Oregon. MS Thesis, OSU. https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/c821gn068
• Barry, A.M., Hagar, J.C. and J.W. Rivers. 2018. Use of Created Snags by Cavity-Nesting Birds Across 25 Years. The Journal of Wildlife Management 82(7):1376–1384; 2018; DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21489
• Barry, A.M., Hagar, J.C. and J.W. Rivers. 2017. Long-term dynamics and characteristics of snags created for wildlife habitat. Forest Ecology and Management 403: 145-151. DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2017.07.049