Skip to main content

Todd Fearer

thumbnail
Informing Climate-Adaptive Forest Management for Breeding Bird Habitat in the Southern Appalachians
The populations of many forest birds have declined in recent decades due to loss of habitat area and degradation of habitat quality. Past land management has left the landscape of the heavily forested Appalachian Mountains with too little old growth as well as too few young, regenerating forests. This change in habitat structure has led to the listing of several forest birds as Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Active management is needed to maintain habitat for these species, but climate change may alter the kinds of management that are effective. Climate change is likely to affect forest structure – and bird habitat suitability – because of shifts in temperature, precipitation, and disturbance. While current...
thumbnail
The Appalachian Mountains provide a multitude of habitats that are essential for hundreds of breeding, migrant, and wintering bird species. Its rugged terrain is dominated by forest and woodlands that span 15 states and contain several major eastern rivers that are heavily relied upon by waterfowl. But historical and current land-use changes, environmental disturbances, and other factors are resulting in population declines of more than 1/3 of bird species that breed and winter in the region. Coordinated action among local, state, federal, and other partners is essential to reverse these trends.The Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture (AMJV) is one of 18 habitat Joint Venture partnerships in the United States. It...
ScienceBase brings together the best information it can find about USGS researchers and offices to show connections to publications, projects, and data. We are still working to improve this process and information is by no means complete. If you don't see everything you know is associated with you, a colleague, or your office, please be patient while we work to connect the dots. Feel free to contact sciencebase@usgs.gov.