Management Techniques For The Red-cockaded Woodpecker On Federal Lands :: essays research papers

Management Techniques For The Red-Cockaded Woodpecker On Federal LandsABSTRACTThe red-cockaded dick (Picoides borealis) has been listed as an endangeredspecies since October, 1970. This species inhabits pine forests in thesoutheastern United States where the absolute majority of prime timberland is privatelyowned. Private ownership of preferred home ground and historically destructivesilvicultural practices create unique problems for federal wildlife managers.This report analyzes three forethought techniques being used to assess andaugment red-cockaded woodpecker populations on federal lands in the region,primarily military installations. Seeking cooperation between diversegovernment agencies, wildlife managers try on to accurately assess speciesabundance, alter woodpecker nesting cavities, and construct nest sites in aneffort to enhance red-cockaded woodpecker home ground on limited federal holdings inthe American southeast.Key words Picoides borealis, Global Positioning Syst em, Geographic InformationSystem, cavity trees, cavity restrictors     The red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) is an endangered speciesthat inhabits pine forests in an historical range from Texas to the Atlanticcoast (Jackson, 1986 Reed et al., 1988). Picoides borealis nest in clans orfamily groups that usually consist of one breeding pair and 2 non-breeding antheralhelpers (Jackson, 1986 ). This group establishes and defends a territory thatincludes foraging habitat and nesting "cavity trees" (Copeyon et al., 1991Jackson et al., 1986 Rossell and Gorsira, 1996). Red-cockaded woodpeckerclans excavate cavities in alert pines, and have established a living andforaging routine in conjunction with the southeastern pine forests and thehistorical occurrence of fire, which reduces hardwood understory while sparingfire-resistant pines (Jackson, 1986). Much of the prime nesting and foraginghabitat for this species has been systematically eliminated due to development,timber harvest and intensive fire suppression (Jackson, 1986). The emergenceof dense hardwood understory and midstory as a result of fire suppression inred-cockaded woodpecker habitat has resulted in the abandonment of manyotherwise undisturbed areas (Jackson, 1986 Kelly et al., 1993).     The red-cockaded woodpecker has been listed as endangered since 1970(Federal Register, 1970 as cited by Ertep and Lee, 1994). Four requirementsfor sustained red-cockaded woodpecker populations that are lacking in thespecies historical range are identified as critical to species stabilization andrecovery 1.) Open pine forests with shade resistant understory controlled bycyclical fire seasons 2.) Old growth Pinus palustrus aged > 95 years and Pinustaeda aged > 75 years 3.) Approximately two hundred acres for nesting group or clan4.) Multiple clans per area to maintain genetic stability and variability(Jackson, 1986). The opportunity to establish or preserve the se habitatqualities on private timberland is largely lost due to historical harvestpractices and development, and research on expanding populations on federal