WCC 2020 Res 079 - Activity Report

In 2021 SFI, with funding from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), and partners Weyerhaeuser, Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture (AMJV), American Bird Conservancy (ABC), West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) and West Virginia University (WVU) developed a project to test effective means of engaging SFI-certified institutional landowners and family landowners in West Virginia to implement dynamic forest block management that benefits forest bird species. The project will improve 7,650 acres of forest habitat, increase occupancy and abundance of golden-winged warbler, cerulean warbler, and wood thrush on 20 sites. These species are priority forest conservation species for the study area, several of which have experienced significant decline in the last decade. The study area has been surveyed for presence and abundance of the targeted species, and BMPs are being tested for their effectiveness at maintaining their habitat and assuring the conservation of these key threatened species.