Research Highlight
Bird Populations Rising: A 30-year study
Bird populations are climbing in Maine – and it’s thanks to the working forest. A study conducted on industrial woodland in Maine found that bird populations have increased in the last 30 years.
Published in March 2024, “The 30-Year Bird Study: The role of Maine’s commercial forests for regional and national bird conservation, 1992-2022,” found that 70 per cent of species analyzed experienced increases in abundance, bucking continental trends.
Lead researcher John Hagan from the University of Maine replicated the location and methodology of research undertaken 30 years ago that investigated how commercial forests in Maine impact bird conservation.
In the updated study, a total of 47 species were analyzed, with data collected using sound monitoring of birdsong in varied forest conditions. Contrary to trends of bird population decline across North America, 33 of these species saw increased abundance compared to the 1990s.
The study noted that “the commercial forests of Maine are contributing in a positive way to bird conservation at a large scale.”
We manage the working forest so that there is a mix of forest communities across the landscape, resulting in a range of forest conditions like tree species, ages and structures. These in turn support a wide range of species diversity across the working forest landscape.
Hagan, J., S. Levy, K. Anderson, P. McKinley, M. Reed, J. Gunn, and B. Shamgochian. 2024. The Thirty-year Bird Study: The role of Maine’s commercial forest for regional and national bird conservation, 1992-2022. Our Climate Common Report, Georgetown, Maine. 39 pp.