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AUTHORS: Keifer Titus, Ball State University; Tim Carter, Ball State University
ABSTRACT: Timber harvest in southern Indiana is an essential tool in habitat management for the Indiana DNR-Division of Forestry. The main method of timber harvesting conducted on Indiana state forest land is individual tree selection, yet there are a variety of other timber harvesting techniques taking place on the landscape. However, the long term effects of these harvesting techniques on the ecological community, especially with regard to the bat community, is poorly understood. Since the onset of White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) in Indiana in 2011 bat conservation efforts continue to be a priority. Identifying the effects of each harvest is of great interest to all parties. In order to understand how each timber harvesting techniques effect the bat community we are examining how relative bat occupancy changes across a continuum of timber harvest intensity. This continuum includes unharvested “control” forest, single tree selection harvest tracts, shelter-wood harvests, and clear cut harvests. This work is being conducted at the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE) in south central Indiana. This is a long-term (100 year) ecological study that provides a unique opportunity to research how the bats are responding to the different harvesting techniques. In the summer of 2016 from May to August we sampled 144 sites using SM2+ acoustic echolocation detectors; each detector recorded simultaneously for three nights. Over 33,500 call files were recorded during our first field season and analyzed using Bat Call ID (BCID) an automated call identification software. Even with in our first field season we determined difference is species detection in relation to intensity of timber harvest. We plan to collect an additional field season of data to examine inter-year differences and to strengthen our current findings.
