Simulated Effect of Timber

Harvest on Habitat Suitability

of Indiana and Northern Long-

eared Bats

Benjamin Pauli

Purdue University

Department of Forestry & Natural Resources

BAT CONSERVATION

2

Critical period

Bats serve important

ecological role

Historical threats to

bats

Emergence of White

Nose Syndrome (WNS)

Need for multifaceted

approach to

conservation

Photo by Marvin Moriarty, USFWS

Photo by Ann Froschauer, USFWS

Indiana State Forests

>150,000 acres

Ecological forestry

Forest management (oak regeneration)

Timber harvest sales

Wildlife conservation

Are current practices optimal?

BALANCING USE OF PUBLIC LANDS

3

Photo © Indiana Department of Natural Resources

INDIANA BAT

Federally endangered

Historic threats

Hibernacula disturbance

Habitat loss and fragmentation

Under threat of WNS

(Myotis sodalis) [MYSO]

Photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Endangered Species website

Adam Mann, Environmental Solutions and Innovations

4

Northern long-eared (Myotis septentrionalis ) [MYSE]

Historically common

Under severe threat of WNS

Likely to be federally listed species

First species to become endangered from WNS

5

NORTHERN LONG-EARED BAT

Credit: painting by Wendy Smith from Kays and Wilson's Mammals of North America, ©

Princeton University Press (2002)

Day

(Roosting)

Day

(Roosting)

Photo by Joey Weber Indiana State University

Night

(Foraging)

Photo © T. TravisBrown

Night

(Foraging)

SUMMER HABITAT REQUIREMENTS

6

Historic declines

attributed to loss

of summer habitat

Summer forest

associated

Different

requirements

Affected by forest

management

LANDSCAPE-LEVEL MANAGEMENT

Photo: U.S. Forest Service Region 9 website

APPROACH

8

Nocturnal

(foraging)

habitat

Diurnal

(roosting)

habitat

Overall

summer

habitat

Future

habitat

availability

STUDY AREAS

I N D I A N AI L L I N O I S

O H I O

K E N T U C K Y

M I C H I G A N

9

10

NOCTURNAL OCCUPANCY MAPPING

final_rast

LAND_COVER

Barren Land

Conifers/softwoods

Cultivated Crops

Developed, High Intensity

Developed, Low Intensity

Developed, Medium Intensity

Developed, Open Space

Grassland/Herbaceous

Hay/Pastuer

Herbaceous Wetland

Maple/beech/birch

Mixed Hardwood/pine

Mixed Oak

Oak/hickory

Open Water

Other Hardwood

Shrub/Scrub

Woody Wetlands

forcov_comb

ValueHigh : 0.999998

Low : 0

COMBINING OCCUPANCY MAPS

11

Nocturnal Diurnal Combined

Identify critical/high

quality areas

Protect valuable areas

Institute management

that produces quality

habitat

Provide balance

between conservation

and resource use

Timber management

HOW TO INFORM MANAGEMENT?

12

UC Santa Barbara Department of Geography

Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, i-cubed, USDA, USGS, AEX, Getmapping,Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, swisstopo, and the GIS User Community

Currently heavily selective harvests

Exploring other approaches (regenerative cuts, more intense, etc.)

9 harvest scenarios 1: No harvest

2: Historical harvests

3: Current harvests

4: Strongly selective

5: Moderately selective

6: Moderately regenerative

7: Strongly regenerative

8: Intensive harvest

9: Maximum harvest

TIMBER HARVESTING

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Forest successional modeling Simulate tree competition

Growth

Shading

Seed dispersal

Mortality

Timber harvest Single tree selection

Patch cuts

Shelterwood

Clearcuts

Apply bat habitat models to output

LANDIS-II SIMULATIONS

14

Brian Miranda, USFS

COMPARING SCENARIOS

15

891 simulations

Each state forest

property

9 scenarios

3 initial conditions

3 replicates (harvest

order randomized)

Compared suitable

habitat under

scenarios

NOCTURNAL HABITAT

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No harvesting Increasing regenerative harvests Intense harvests Historical and current harvests

Indiana bat Northern long-eared bat

• 1: No harvest

• 2: Historical harvests

• 3: Current harvests

• 4: Strongly selective

• 5: Moderately selective

• 6: Moderately regenerative

• 7: Strongly regenerative

• 8: Intensive harvest

• 9: Maximum harvest

DIURNAL HABITAT

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No harvesting Increasing regenerative harvests Intense harvests Historical and current harvests

Indiana bat Northern long-eared bat

• 1: No harvest

• 2: Historical harvests

• 3: Current harvests

• 4: Strongly selective

• 5: Moderately selective

• 6: Moderately regenerative

• 7: Strongly regenerative

• 8: Intensive harvest

• 9: Maximum harvest

OVERALL HABITAT

18 Indiana bat Northern long-eared bat

• 1: No harvest

• 2: Historical harvests

• 3: Current harvests

• 4: Strongly selective

• 5: Moderately selective

• 6: Moderately regenerative

• 7: Strongly regenerative

• 8: Intensive harvest

• 9: Maximum harvest

Timber harvest

Extreme scenarios had opposing effects on MYSO and MYSE

Regeneration openings improved nocturnal habitat

Selective harvests favored roosting habitat

Both species able to withstand forest management (MYSO more sensitive)

Potential win-win scenarios

Approach

Separated habitat needs temporally via sampling method

Combined for overall habitat suitability

Identified hotspots

Projected future forests

Predicted suitability from management

Informed timber management in Indiana

Multispecies conservation with complex habitat needs

CONCLUSIONS

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Directly inform conservation of important habitat

Will aid in approaches to timber harvest

Incorporate into HCP

Integrate with other needs of state forests

Coupling of harvests to create optimal habitat

OUTLOOK

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Photo by Andrew King, USFWS

Pat Zollner, Gang Shao;

Purdue University

Scott Haulton, Kaylee

DeCosta; Indiana Department

of Natural Resources, Division

of Forestry

Tim Carter, Holly Badin; Ball

State University

Andy King; US Fish & Wildlife

Service

Joy Marburger; Indiana Dunes

National Lakeshore

Matthew Hohmann, US Army

Corps of Engineers

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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