Impacts of partial harvest of riparian buffer strips on cavity-nesting birds in boreal mixedwood forest

To alleviate negative effects of forest harvesting on wildlife in boreal forests, forest managers are attempting to emulate patterns of wildfire disturbance in treed riparian buffers using partial-harvesting techniques. I assessed the response of cavity-nesting birds to forest harvesting in riparian buffers, and identified habitat features relevant to bird management across three spatial scales in the Boreal Plains ecozone of SK and MB in 2005 and 2006. The composition of bird assemblages shifted when less than 33% of forest was retained in buffers. Site-use by Brown Creepers (Certhia americana ), Red-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta canadensis), Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus varius) and Boreal Chickadees ( Poecile hudsonica) decreased with increasing amount of harvest. Compared to harvested buffers, burned riparian forest supported more Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus), Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor ) and House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon). Site-use by most species was related to habitat at a scale similar to their territory size.