A meta‐analysis of bird and mammal response to short‐rotation woody crops

摘要: Short-rotation woody cropping (SRWC) refers to silvicultural systems designed produce biomass using short harvest cycles (1–15 years), intensive techniques, high-yielding varieties, and often coppice regeneration. Recent emphasis on alternatives fossil fuels has spurred interest in producing SRWC privately owned intensively managed forests of North America. We examined potential bird small mammal response at the stand level conversion existing, SRWCs meta-analysis existing studies. found 257 effect sizes for birds (243 sizes) mammals (14 from 8 studies involving Populus spp. plantations. Diversity abundance guilds were lower short-rotation plantations compared with reference woodlands, while individual species was more variable not consistently higher or Shrub-associated abundant plantations, but forest-associated cavity-nesting less abundant. Effects appeared decrease age plantation, plantation also confounded variation type forest used comparison. Both These conclusions are tentative because none these directly forests. Plantations could contribute overall landscape diversity forest-dominated landscapes by providing shrubby habitat structure nonforest species. However, extensive mature would likely diversity, especially if they replace types high conservation value.