The total number of species found in Oregon 

 and Washington combined was 82. Species 

 richness (the number of species per plot) 

 ranged from 7 to 30 and averaged 15. At least 

 8 species were found on >50% of 25 field plots^. 

 General conclusions from the lichen collection 

 work were: 



• The lichen community sampling method was 

 used effectively in the Pacific Northwest with- 

 out altering methods used in other regions 

 of the United States. 



• Species richness values found in the Pilot 

 Study were somewhat lower than those found 

 in the Southeast, higher than in Colorado, 

 and similar to California. 



• Methods appear to be fairly repeatable across 

 sites, but some differences between observ- 

 ers emphasized that good training and qual- 

 ity-assurance checks are needed to achieve 

 a good representation of all species present. 



• Results can be used to evaluate biological 

 effects of deteriorating air quality after a re- 

 gional air-quality model is implemented, as 

 has been done in other regions. 



SONGBIRD HABITAT INDICATOR' 



Populations of many songbird species are 

 strongly influenced by local forest structure, 

 which affects microclimate, availability of for- 

 aging and nesting sites, and risk of predation. 

 In addition, because some forest birds are sen- 

 sitive to the size and shape of forest stands, 

 their presence or absence can reflect habitat 

 quality at broader scales. Songbird commu- 

 nities can thus act as indicators of the effects 

 of forest disturbance. 



During the summer of 1994, songbird sur- 

 veys were conducted in conjunction with veg- 

 etation measurements on 60 study sites in the 

 Cascade Range of western Oregon and Wash- 



TTie eight most common species and their percentage 

 occurrence across 25 plots were Hypogymnia 

 enteromorpha. 60%; H. inactiva, 52%; H. physodes. 

 72%; Parmelia sulcata, 72%: Platismatia glauca. 80%; P. 

 heirei. 52%; Ramalinafarinacea. 52%; and Usnea spp., 

 68%. 



^Adapted from; Cooperative Agreement Report: Wildlife 

 habitat indicator-Pacific Northwest Pilot Study Report. 

 Grant E. Canterbury and Thomas E. Martin, Montana 

 Cooperative Wildlife Research, University of Montana, 

 Missoula, MT. 1995. 11 p. 



ington. Forests on these study sites were domi- 

 nated by Douglas-fir and western hemlock. 

 The goals of this study were to collect data on 

 bird communities along a forest disturbance 

 gradient, develop habitat models to predict bird 

 community composition from vegetation pa- 

 rameters measured by Forest Health Monitor- 

 ing crews, and test bird survey methods that 

 had previously been used successfully in 

 southeastern pine forests. 



Four 50-meter-radius bird survey plots were 

 established at each site. Plot centers were 492 

 feet apart, covering an area of about 15 acres, 

 so the probability of detecting the same indi- 

 vidual birds on more than one plot was low. 

 Measurements included number and species 

 of birds seen within each plot, estimated 

 canopy cover, shrub density, understory veg- 

 etation, and sapling and tree data. Sites 

 ranged from recent clearcuts to old-growth for- 

 ests. A recorder conducted 20-minute bird 

 surveys at each plot between 6:00 and 10:00 

 AM, except during rainy or windy weather 

 which could interfere with detection of birds. 



Because songbirds are easily surveyed and 

 show a variety of responses to forest habitat 

 structure, the species on a site can be used to 

 indicate the effects of forest disturbance on 

 bird communities. In the Pacific Northwest, 

 two groups of 16 disturbance-sensitive species 

 and 16 disturbance-tolerant species were iden- 

 tified from the ornithological literature (table 

 5-7). Each group responds primarily to major 

 forest disturbances such as clearcutting or 

 agricultural clearing rather than relatively mi- 

 nor disturbances such as ground fires and 

 selective cutting. Bird species intermediate in 

 habitat preference between disturbed and 

 mature forests were not assigned to either 

 group. 



A Bird Community Index indicating the de- 

 gree to which forest bird communities are al- 

 tered by disturbance was developed from a 

 modified ratio of species abundance in the two 

 disturbance groups. The Bird Community In- 

 dex was strongly influenced by vegetation char- 

 acteristics on the study plots. About two-thirds 

 of the variability in Bird Community Index val- 



Monitoring — 76 



