“Burder” on the North America Express (Farmington)

Investigating causes of forest bird declines with Maine commercial forests as a case study

Forest birds have declined steeply in North America over the last 50 years, and there are multiple suspects for the causes of those declines. One key suspect in this investigation for many species is habitat change from development or commercial forestry. However, habitat change can play out in a variety of ways depending on a species’ specific habitat needs, and some disturbances can be beneficial. We will explore how shifts in forest management since the 1990s have changed the landscape of bird populations and bird habitat across the commercial forests of Northern Maine, and brainstorm strategies to maintain and improve this relationship over the coming century.

Fen Levy is an ecologist at Tufts University who works at the intersection of human histories of land, forest management, and bird conservation. Since 2020, they have been studying the effects of changing timberland ownership and management on bird habitat in the Maine North Woods, and exploring Maine bird population trends in the context of North American bird declines. They are also working with forest managers to guide ecologically sensitive harvest decisions, and the Appalachian Mountain Club, Maine Audubon, foresters, and members of the Wabanaki Alliance to build a lasting footprint of science and land history communication in the North Woods. In the long term, they hope to continue working on research and science communication in support of bird and land conservation in Northern New England. They are also a songwriter and drag artist, both of which are inevitably heavily bird-inspired.