Retain forested corridors in logged areas

Overall effectiveness category Likely to be beneficial
Number of studies: 3
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

55%
Certainty

40%
Harms

0%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

This intervention involves retaining corridors of unlogged mature forest within logged areas. This may provide foraging and roosting opportunities for bats and maintain connectivity in disturbed landscapes. See also ‘Retain riparian buffers in logged areas’.

To be included as evidence for this intervention, studies must have monitored a comparison, i.e. compared logged areas where forested corridors have been kept intact with similar/nearby logged areas where forested corridors have not been kept. There must have been an active decision (i.e. intervention) to retain the forested corridors and the study must state when the intervention was carried out.

Study locations

Key messages

Three studies evaluated the effects of retaining forested corridors in logged areas on bat populations. The three studies were in the USA.

COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

POPULATION RESPONSE (1 STUDY)

Abundance (1 studies): One replicated, site comparison study in the USA found that bat activity (relative abundance) was significantly higher along the edges of forested corridors than in corridor interiors or in adjacent logged stands, which had similar activity levels.

BEHAVIOUR (2 STUDIES)

Use (2 studies): One replicated, site comparison study in the USA found more Seminole bats roosting in forested corridors than logged stands or mature forest. One replicated, site comparison study in the USA found more male but fewer female evening bats roosting in forested corridors than logged stands.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A replicated, site comparison study in 2003–2006 of 27 radio-tracked Seminole bats Lasiurus seminolus in loblolly pine Pinus taeda plantations in South Carolina, USA (Hein et al 2008) found that forested corridors had more Seminole bat roosts than logged mid-rotation tree stands or mature forest. More male and female Seminole bat roosts were in forested corridors (male bats: 25 roosts, 61%; female bats: 31 roosts, 63%) than in logged mid-rotation stands (male bats: 14 roosts, 34%; female bats: 14 roosts, 29%) or mature forest (male bats: 2 roosts, 5%; female bats: 4 roosts, 8%). Distance to the nearest forested corridor was also negatively related to roost site selection (data reported as statistical model results). The study area (41,365 ha) was intensively managed for pine production. Mid-rotation logged stands were 12–22 years old. Forested corridors (100–200 m wide) consisted of mature pine (>23 years old) and/or mixed hardwood (>50 years old). Bats were caught with mist nets at nine ponds in open habitat from May–August in 2003–2006. Twenty-seven adult Seminole bats (10 males, 17 females) were tracked to 90 day roosts in the canopy of live pine trees.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Hein C.D., Castleberry S.B. & Miller K.V. (2008) Sex-specific summer roost-site selection by seminole bats in response to landscape-level forest management. Journal of Mammalogy, 89, 964-972.
A replicated, site comparison study in 2003–2006 of 53 radio-tracked evening bats Nycticeius humeralis in loblolly pine Pinus taeda plantations in South Carolina, USA (Hein et al 2009) found that forested corridors had more male but fewer female evening bat roosts than logged mid-rotation tree stands. More male but fewer female evening bat roosts were in forested corridors (male: 12 roosts, 39%; female: eight roosts, 18%) than in logged mid-rotation stands (male: six roosts, 19%; female: nine roosts, 21%). The greatest number of roosts were in mature forest (male: 13 roosts, 42%; female: 27 roosts, 61%). Distance to the nearest forested corridor was negatively related to roost site selection in male bats but not females (data reported as statistical model results). The study area (41,365 ha) was intensively managed for pine production. Mid-rotation logged stands were 12–22 years old. Forested corridors (100–200 m wide) consisted of mature pine (>23 years old) and/or mixed hardwood (>50 years old). Bats were caught with mist nets at nine ponds in open habitat from May–August in 2003–2006. Fifty-three adult evening bats (26 males, 27 females) were tracked to 75 day roosts in trees.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Hein C.D., Miller K.V. & Castleberry S.B. (2009) Evening bat summer roost-site selection on a managed pine landscape. Journal of Wildlife Management, 73, 511-517.
A replicated, paired sites study in 2004–2005 in 32 pairs of forested corridors and logged loblolly pine Pinus taeda stands in South Carolina, USA (Hein et al 2009) found that forested corridor edges had higher overall bat activity than corridor interiors or adjacent logged tree stands. Higher bat activity was recorded along forested corridor edges (54 bat passes/detector/night) than in corridor interiors (7 bat passes/detector/night) or in adjacent logged stands (12 bat passes/detector/night). Six bat species were recorded in total (see original paper for data for individual species). The study area (41,365 ha) was intensively managed for pine production. Thirty-two forested corridors (100–200 m wide) were paired with adjacent logged stands of a similar age. At each of 32 pairs of sites, bat activity was simultaneously recorded with five bat detectors (one on each corridor edge, one in the corridor interior, and two in adjacent logged stands) from two full consecutive nights in June–August 2004 or 2005.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Hein C.D., Castleberry S.B. & Miller K.V. (2009) Site-occupancy of bats in relation to forested corridors. Forest Ecology and Management, 257, 1200-1207.

Please cite as:

Berthinussen, A., Richardson O.C. and Altringham J.D. (2021) Bat Conservation: Global Evidence for the Effects of Interventions. Conservation Evidence Series Synopses. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

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This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Bat Conservation

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Use selective or reduced impact logging instead of conventional logging Action Link	Likely to be beneficial	4	Synopsis Link
Retain forested corridors in logged areas Action Link	Likely to be beneficial	3	Synopsis Link
Maintain forest and woodland edges for foraging bats Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link