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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.

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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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