| Forest managers in the southeast use herbicide and prescribed fire to control hardwood competition in pine (pinus spp.) forests. I tested effects of herbicide and prescribed burning on plant and bird communities in thinned, midrotation pine plantations in Kemper County, Mississippi. The study included 6 replicate stands, with 4, 10 ha plots in each stand. Each plot was assigned one of 4 treatments: burn only, herbicide only, herbicide/burn, and control. Vegetation structure and avian community variables were measured to examine treatment response. In the 4th growing season post treatment, pine basal area was greatest in herbicide/burn treatments. Avian species richness, total abundance, and total conservation value were greatest in herbicide and herbicide/burn treatments, and lowest in the control and burn treatments. Herbicide used in combination with prescribed fire will increase pine volume while providing suitable habitat for species of regional conservation concern. |
