An Experimental Study of the Impact of Gaps and Clusters Silviculture on Insectivorous Birds in a Continuous Forest Landscape

Abstract

The forests of north-eastern New South Wales have outstanding biological significance. They support 430 species of vertebrate fauna, of which 35 are endemic to the region, and 82 are endangered, threatened or rare. They contain the second highest diversity of bird species in Australia, after the wet tropics of north Queensland. Coastal moist eucalypt forests within this region provide important over-wintering habitat for migratory birds. Despite these values, there has been little prior investigation of the ecology of the avifauna of the northeastern NSW forests and their responses to logging. This study is the first to examine the impact of gaps and clusters silviculture on birds in the forests of eastern Australia.