Study Area

1
Longer-term effects of forest utilisation on bird
populations in a managed mixed-eucalypt forest
N. Weston1, W. Wright1, R. Loyn2, and R. Mac
Nally3
Objectives
Survey Design
Introduction
In Victoria, large areas of publicly owned forest
are managed for both production and conservation.
Harvesting operations within these forests,
produce a mosaic of retained old-growth forest
patches dispersed among

• To compare bird diversity and abundance in
  old-growth forest stands and across regrowth
  forest of four different age classes
• To compare results to previous work conducted in
  the same forest 29 years earlier
• To determine if short-term effects found in the
  earlier study are predictive of longer-term
  effects
• To investigate the effect of the regrowth matrix,
  patch size and patch proximity to other age
  classes on biodiversity

Sites will be selected throughout the forest
covering different-aged mixed-eucalypt forest
stands as shown in the table.

• regrowth of different ages. Many forest birds and
  arboreal mammals depend on old forest elements,
  such as hollow-bearing trees, for nesting,
  roosting or foraging (e.g. see Lunney 2004).
  Less attention has been given to the potential
  role of regrowth forest in providing habitat for
  wildlife. A few short-term studies indicate a
  relationship between forest bird populations and
  regrowth complexity (Loyn et al. 1980, Kavanagh
  Stanton 2003). These studies show that certain
  species favour the habitat conditions present at
  different stages of regrowth (e.g. open country
  birds in regrowth less than 5 years old). As
  most research has focused on young regrowth (lt30
  years) much less is known about the value of
  older regrowth for biodiversity conservation.
• This doctoral study will investigate the
  longer-term effects of timber harvesting on bird
  populations in a managed mixed-eucalypt forest
  and will compare these to shorter-term effects
  documented in a previous study (Loyn et al. 1980).

• At each site
• Diurnal bird surveys will be conducted using a
  20-minute/2 hectare area search technique
• Owls will be detected using playback of owl calls
  
• Habitat quality will be assessed according to the
  habitat hectares method (Parkes et al. 2003)

Significance of research Information gathered
from this project will provide new long-term
perspectives for future management practices over
the forest landscape. It will also provide
records on vulnerable forest birds for
conservation purposes.
0
5 km

• Study Area
• Boola Boola State Forest is a mixed-eucalypt
  native forest 160km east of Melbourne in the
  southern foothills of the Great Dividing Range.
  Timber has been intensively harvested from the
  area since European settlement. For over 55
  years, systematic harvesting of sawlogs and
  pulpwood has shaped the forest into an array of
  different aged forest stands. A substantial
  study of flora and fauna was conducted in the
  forest in the late 1970s (Loyn et al. 1980).

References Kavanagh, R. and Stanton, M. (2003)
Bird population recovery 22 years after intensive
logging near Eden, New South Wales. Emu 103
221-231 Loyn, R., Macfarlane, M., Chesterfield,
E. and Harris, J. (1980) Effects of forest
utilisation on flora and fauna in Boola Boola
State Forest. Forests Commission, Victoria.
Bulletin 28 Lunney, D. (Ed). Conservation of
Australias forest fauna (second edition). Royal
Zoological Society of New South Wales, Mosman,
NSW. Parkes, D., Newell, G. and Cheal, D. (2003)
Assessing the quality of native vegetation The
habitat hectares approach. Ecological
Management Restoration 4 S29-S38
1 Institute for Regional Studies, School of
Applied Sciences and Engineering, Monash
University, Churchill, Victoria 3842 2 Arthur
Rylah Institute for Environmental Research,
Department of Sustainability and Environment, PO
Box 137, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084 3
Australian Centre for Biodiversity, School of
Biological Sciences, PO Box 18, Monash
University, Victoria, 3800
Acknowledgments Funded by the Institute for
Regional Studies, Monash University
Logistic support from Erica
Depot, Department of Sustainability and
Environment
Graphics by Steven Cyphers, Ed McNabb, Peter
Menkhorst, and Anonymous (1976 photo)