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Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) forests as a habitat for birds and mammals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

Brian W. Staines ,
S. J. Petty  and
Philip R. Ratcliffe
Brian W. Staines
Affiliation:
Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Hills of Brathens, Banchory, Kincardineshire AB3 4BY, Scotland, U.K.
S. J. Petty
Affiliation:
Forestry Commission, Wildlife and Conservation Research Branch, Ardentinny, Dunoon, Argyll PA23 8TS, Scotland, U.K.
Philip R. Ratcliffe
Affiliation:
Forestry Commission, Wildlife and Conservation Research Branch, Alice Holt Lodge, Wrecclesham, Farnham, Surrey GU10 4LH, U.K.
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Synopsis

Sitka spruce comprises the largest single forest type in Britain and provides a vast habitat for wildlife. However, many improvements are still possible. No species of bird or mammal occurs equally throughout a conifer rotation, their distribution being affected by both the temporal and spatial dynamics of plantations. We suggest a number of practical improvements, including the modifications to felling-coup size and the incorporation of other tree and shrub species, to increase the diversity and abundance of wildlife in Sitka spruce forests without seriously affecting the forest enterprise.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B: Biological Sciences , Volume 93 , Issue 1-2: Sitka Spruce , 1987 , pp. 169 - 181
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1987

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