In 1994 the Northern Region of the US Forest Service (USFS) initiated a region-wide landbird monitoring program to help biologists and managers better understand the habitat relationships of landbirds breeding in this region. This program helps the USFS meet its legal mandate under the 1976 National Forest Management Act to ma
intain viable populations of native vertebrates and its requirement under the National Environmental Policy Act to evaluate the cumulative effects of projects across National Forests.
The Avian Science Center coordinates the Northern Region LBMP, a program of point count and other bird surveys conducted throughout Montana and Northern Idaho.
From 1994-2004 we surveyed over 370 permanently marked transects on an every-other-year basis, with the alternate years devoted to gathering monitoring data on the effects of various land-use practices or on single-species of management concern. In Montana, as part of the Coordinated Bird Monitoring Program we have also conducted additional surveys throughout the State.
Stemming from a 10-year internal Forest Service Review of the Landbird Monitoring Program, we have recently shifted our point count efforts to a grid-based and off-road sampling design. We piloted these efforts this past summer, testing a handful of different sampling techniques. We also gained valuable habitat relationship data in order to support our primary objective (see below). Please see Monitoring Projects for more details and stay tuned for future developments.
Landbird Monitoring Program Objectives:
1) to assess habitat needs and relationships of breeding landbirds via point counts;
2) to conduct short-term studies of either single-species distribution and habitat use (e.g., Flammulated Owls, Northern Goshawk) or of the effects of specific management practices on selected bird species (e.g., grazing, timber harvesting, prescribed fires); and
3) to conduct long-term trend monitoring in collaboration with other entities in the western U.S.
Funders: The LBMP is principally funded by the Northern Region of the US Forest Service, with major contributions from the Bureau of Land Management, Glacier National Park, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Potlatch Timber Co, and Plum Creek Timber Co.
Project duration: 1994 - present
For more information, contact Amy Cilimburg at 243-2035 or Jock Young at 243-6499
Northern Region Landbird Monitoring Program 10-Year Review
During the fall of 2005, the LBMP was reviewed by scientists within the US Forest Service.
The primary outcome of this review was that the current Northern Region Landbird Monitoring Program is a very efficient program that has provided a solid baseline for long-term monitoring and a wealth of relevant data, yet it could provide better information for modeling bird distribution and abundance and could better inform management by adopting some changes in design and execution. With improved scientific defensibility and funding, the Northern Region Landbird Monitoring Program (NRLMP) could be a shining example for other USFS Regions to follow. The primary recommendations are to continue data collection with an emphasis on bird-habitat relationships, adopt a grid-based sampling design (possibly utilizing the FIA system), and repeat individual point counts within season (2-3 times).
The full report is available HERE.
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