A comparison of bird communities in loblolly vs. white pine plantations on the Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park

The value of pine plantations as habitat for avian communities has not been extensively studied. Bird communities that occur in pine plantations need to be chronicled and managed to sustain their diversity. The objectives of this study were to 1) characterize breeding and winter bird communities in loblolly and white pine plantations on the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Reservation, and 2) assess and compare bird density, species richness, species diversity, and species equitability of the two habitats.

Both loblolly and white pine exhibited well-developed hardwood understories, and supported diverse bird communities. However, the breeding bird density in loblolly pine was higher than in white pine in 1988; loblolly pine had a higher breeding bird density and species richness than white pine in 1989. The understory nesting birds in loblolly were characterized by a number of bird species associated with edge habitat that were not found in white pine; cavity and overstory nesting birds had similar densities in both pine types. The predominance of edge species in loblolly pine may have accounted for the higher bird density and species richness exhibited by this pine type. Certain structural characteristics, such as the more open overstory and dense ground cover of loblolly, may have created habitat attractive to edge bird species. Both pine types were occupied by species normally associated with the interior of deciduous forests. The small sizes of the pine stands and the close proximity to larger tracts of deciduous forests may have allowed the stands to be utilized as part of several species' territories. Three species listed as either threatened or in need of management by the State of Tennessee were observed exclusively in white pine stands. This highlighted the importance of considering the particular species attracted to a habitat, along with other community values.

Winter bird communities in loblolly and white pine did not differ significantly. Large flocks of mixed and/or single species of birds utilized the overstory and understory of both pine types, and also utilized adjacent habitats. Birds apparently selected structure that provided appropriate food and shelter regardless of forest type.