Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: West Virginia
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Cerulean warblers benefit from forest management prac­tices that promote a heterogeneous canopy structure based on an experimental study that resulted in "Cerulean Warbler Management Guidelines for Enhancing Breeding Habitat in Appalachian Hardwood Forests". This project studied application of the Guidelines through operational silviculture under a broad set of conditions and harvest types. Four states in the central Appalachians conducted timber harvests that incorporated the recommendations of the guidelines and we quantified the response of cerulean warbler and associated avian species. Results suggest that the Guidelines are effective under broader topographic conditions and the study identified specific management targets for preferred tree species basal area to better guide management practices.