Document Type
Newsletter
Volume
2
Issue
4
Editor
Paul Rogers
Publisher
Western Aspen Alliance
Publication Date
11-2011
First Page
1
Last Page
4
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Abstract
Importance of Aspen Stand Structure to Avian Abundance and Diversity
Dr. Susan Earnst
Aspen provide the only deciduous woodland habitat for nesting songbirds in much of the Great Basin and semi-arid West. Because intact aspen woodlands are structurally diverse and provide a relatively moisture- and invertebrate-rich environment, avian abundance and diversity are expected to be greater in aspen than surrounding habitats, and available research supports that expectation. In fact, there is a suite of cavity-, overstory-, understory-, and ground-nesting species—including Warbling Vireos, Western Wood-Pewees, House Wrens, Mountain Bluebirds, Red-naped Sapsuckers, and MacGillivray’s Warbler—that are substantially more abundant in aspen than surrounding montane shrublands or coniferous forests. Studies of avian habitat relationships, including those of aspen- associated species, repeatedly confirm that a species’ preference is tied to horizontal and vertical vegetative structure. In classic, multi-tiered, montane aspen stands that include large diameter trees and patches of understory shrubs and forbs, all avian nesting guilds are usually well represented. In contrast, at high elevations where conditions are harsh and tree growth is stunted, the resulting dense, low stature stands are typically depauperate in cavity- and overstory-nesters.
Recommended Citation
Western Aspen Alliance, "Tremblings, November 2011" (2011). Tremblings. Paper 11.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/tremblings/11