Breeding-Bird Population Changes Following Right-Of-Way Maintenance Treatments    (View PDF)

W.C. Bramble, R.H. Yahner, and W. R. Byrnes

Abstract: The effects of herbicide and mechanical vegetation maintenance treatments on breeding-bird populations were compared on electric transmission rights-of-way (ROW) in the Allegheny Mountain and Piedmont Physiographic Provinces in Pennsylvania (hereafter termed the Allegheny ROW and the Piedmont ROW, respectively). Bird density decreased from pre-treatment (June) to post-treatment (August) in 1987 on handcut and mowed plus herbicide-treated ROW areas on both the Allegheny and Piedmont ROW; whereas, bird density increased on basal-, stem-foliage-, and foliagesprayed ROW from pre- to post-treatment. A decrease occurred on the mowed ROW areas only on the Piedmont ROW. Retention of shrubby borders by selective treatment was a major factor in retaining the pre-treatment bird populations in the post-treatment period.

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https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.1992.006