Long-term responses of ecosystem components to stand thinning in young lodgepole pine forest: II. Diversity and population dynamics of forest floor small mammals

Published source details Sullivan T.P., Sullivan D.S., Lindgren P.M.F. & Ransome D.B. (2005) Long-term responses of ecosystem components to stand thinning in young lodgepole pine forest: II. Diversity and population dynamics of forest floor small mammals. Forest Ecology and Management, 205, 1-14.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Thin trees within forest Action Link

Thin trees within forest

A replicated, controlled study in 2000–2002 of three coniferous forests in British Columbia, Canada (Sullivan et al. 2005) found that thinning of regenerating lodgepole pine Pinus contorta stands did not result in higher small mammal abundance or species richness 12–14 years later. Small mammal abundance varied between years but not between treatments (low remaining tree density: 13–26 individuals/stand; medium density: 11–23 individuals/stand; high density: 15–27 individuals/stand; unthinned: 10–26 individuals/stand). Similarly, species richness did not differ between treatments (low tree density: 2.3–4.3 species/stand; medium density: 3.7–3.9 species/stand; high density: 3.0–3.4 species/stand; unthinned: 2.5–3.7 species/stand). In each of three sites, four forest stands, regenerating following felling and/or wildfire in 1960–1972, were studied. In 1988–1989, one stand each in each site was thinned to approximately 500 (low), 1,000 (medium), and 2,000 (high) stems/ha and one was unthinned (with 4,700–6,000 stems/ha in 1988). Small mammals were live-trapped, over two nights and one day, at 4-week intervals, from May–October of 2000, 2001, and 2002. One trapping grid (1 ha, 49 trap stations) was located in each stand.

(Summarised by: Nick Littlewood)