Assessing and optimising the influence of plantation forestry on bird diversity in Ireland.

Abstract

Continued expansion of commercial forests in Ireland, following earlier periods of large-scale deforestation, has the potential for both negative and positive interactions with biodiversity. This paper provides an overview of the interactions between commercial forest development and birds. An analysis of the influence of forestry on breeding bird species, based on 'impact scores' , suggests that, while the overall impact is likely to be positive, the degree to which positive impacts outweigh negative impacts is highest for common bird species and for some species-groups (raptors and owls for example). Impacts on some species-groups (notably breeding waders) are more likely to be negative, although they may be mitigated by sensitive siting of new forests.