Theses and Dissertations

Advisor

Evans, Kristine

Committee Member

Boudreau, Melanie

Committee Member

Burgess, Murry

Committee Member

Wang, Guiming

Date of Degree

5-15-2026

Original embargo terms

Immediate Worldwide Access

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Wildlife, Fisheries, & Aquaculture

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Forest Resources

Department

Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Abstract

Southeastern working pine forests provide opportunities for sustainable management that balance conservation and economic objectives. Red-headed woodpeckers (Melanerpes erythrocephalus), as primary cavity excavators, play a disproportionate role in forest ecosystems, making them an ideal focal species for evaluating management strategies. From 2024-2025, we monitored 103 nesting attempts in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) forests of Mississippi and Alabama, assessing nest site selection and survival. Nests were concentrated in early successional stands, with selection favoring taller snags with advanced decay characteristics, greater understory cover, and north-to-west cavity orientation. Nest survival increased with reduced cavity accessibility. Simulation models of varying snag retention levels revealed that low to moderate increases (5-12 snags/ha) improved predicted occurrence and landscape-level use without requiring extreme retention. Together, these results indicate that maintaining structurally diverse snags, moderate understory, and elevated retention can enhance nesting resources and landscape-level occurrence, providing actionable, practical guidance for sustainable wildlife management in working forests.

Sponsorship (Optional)

NA, acknowledged in document

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