Jeff Walters - Virginia Tech Management of Pine Forests, Fire and Endangered Red-cockaded Woodpeckers on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune Jeff Walters - Virginia Tech

Outline RCW management on MCBCL DCERP research What else is new RCW as an umbrella species RCWs and climate change What else is new More climate change High densities of RCWs RCW SSA

Onslow Bight Primary Core Population 27 groups 1991, 115 2017 (1st management demonstration project)

How Does Managing Habitat for RCWs Affect the Rest of the Bird Community? Strong associations between vegetation and bird species

RCW as Umbrella Species Avian Point Count Stations at MCBCL Foraging Habitat Quality 148 point count stations RCW matrix scores: 2- 3 potentially suitable 4-5 suitable habitat Great Crested Flycatcher Kevin Rose

Red-headed Woodpecker Foraging Habitat Quality – Positive Effect on Bird Diversity Red-headed Woodpecker

Foraging Habitat Quality - Positive effects on RCWs High density in best habitat

Positive effects on open pine species Bachman’s Sparrow Bachman’s Sparrow Pine Warbler Other species: Eastern Bluebird, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Red-headed Woodpecker

Foraging Habitat Quality – other species Positive effects on 6/8 widespread species associated with open pine (e.g., Indigo Bunting, Northern Bobwhite) (2 neutral) Negative effects on 3/5 shrub-associated species (1 neutral, 1 +) Positive effects on 3/6 hardwood-associated species (2 -, 1 neutral) Carolina Wren Tufted Titmouse

Summary: Effect of Managing Habitat for RCWs on the Rest of the Bird Community – Good Umbrella! Overall positive effect on the bird community Positive effects on individual species widespread A few negative effects, restricted to common species which remain common Negative effects on hardwood- associated species surprisingly few (degraded pine savanna not good hardwood forest) Management (burn!) promotes longleaf restoration goals

Climate Change and RCWs (MCBCL & Sandhills) RCW is a habitat specialist with little capacity to shift range Must adapt to climate change on site, through plasticity or evolution Changing climate may affect RCW demography through effects of weather or habitat change

Climate Change and RCWs (MCBCL & Sandhills) Changes over time in reproduction Earlier laying dates, larger clutches, lighter nestlings, and more partial brood loss Increasing productivity (fledglings per group) Changes over time in survival Higher first year survival, longer lifespan, later age of 1st reproduction Larger groups Changes reflect both habitat improvement and changing climate PhD work of Vicki Garcia

Climate Change and RCWs Some changes clearly climate-related MCBCL Sandhills Laying Date

Climate Change and RCWs Some clearly habitat related Group Size

Climate Change and RCWs Some likely a combination of both, including the bottom line: productivity (fledglings per group) Sandhills Fledglings/Group RCW nestlings

Summary: Climate Change and RCWs in North Carolina Most effects relate to reproduction Higher temperatures = positive effects True for both reproduction and survival True for both study areas Temperature effects dominate in the Sandhills Increased precipitation = negative effects Effects limited to reproduction MCBCL accounts for most of these effects Precipitation as important as temperature at MCBCL Photo: Derrick Hamrick

What Else Is New? More Climate Change Conditions improving for RCWs in North Carolina at northeastern part of range May not be true at southwestern part of range Fledglings/Group

Range-wide Analysis (Stephanie DeMay) Geographic variation in productivity North to south, tied to variation in survival Trend is good in northeastern part of range May be a problem in the Western Gulf Coastal Plain Low productivity, but getting lower

What Else Is New? High Local Densities of RCWs Reported from several populations Always in best habitat MCBCL example 2 original territories now hold 9 groups 7 budding events in 20 years Important new paper by Garabedian et al. Ibis 2018 First evidence of density-dependence Possible densities and thus population sizes in restored habitat an open question

What Else Is New? RCW SSA Thanks to many of you Draft Species Status Assessment Report For the Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) Version 1.1 Thanks to many of you Core Team, Advisory Team Stephanie DeMay, Will McDearman et al. Rough draft under review Regional Office review April 3-4 Presentation by Core Team Final draft this summer March 15, 2018 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Atlanta, GA

Results Measured population growth rates 1998-2016 Most increasing Global population model identifies factors affecting population growth Small populations (6-29) = recruitment clusters, cavity management, translocation, midstory treatment, pine type Medium populations (30-75) = recruitment clusters, midstory treatment Large populations (>75) = recruitment clusters, cavity management, spatial aggregation Negative or no effect of removing flying squirrels Assume forest, ecosystem management (range-wide baseline) Shows impacts single species management added to ecosystem management

Results (continued) Current resilience (viability), population by population Based on population size (<30, 30-99, 100-249, 250-500, >500) Within resilience categories, ordered by population growth rate

Questions?