SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF FIRE ON BREEDING BIRDS IN SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN UPLAND FORESTS

We investigated how variation in fire severity (control or no fire; low, medium, and high severity fires) and interval (1-2 years vs. 3-6 years after fires) affected habitat and avian abundance, species diversity, richness, and evenness in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Fire severity and interval had significant implications for both habitat and avian communities. Species richness within 2 years of fires was on average 26% higher in areas receiving medium and high severity treatments than in unburned control units. Species diversity and species richness were markedly greater 3-6 years after fires within high severity treatments (12 and 44%, respectively), compared to unburned controls. Relative abundance and species evenness did not vary with fire severity or time since tire. The short-term effects of low severity fires, or high severity fires with short rotation periods (<= 2 years) may have limited positive effects on avian communities. Facilitation of disturbance regimes including mid to high severity fires, which foster uneven-aged forests, can be an effective conservation tool for restoring avian communities.