Good For the Rufous, Good For the Forest

A collaboration between conservation groups and forest product companies may result in healthier forests and improved opportunities to conserve species that face uncertain futures.

What can a hummingbird reveal about the health of a forest?

That's a key question conservationists and forest products companies will be trying to answer later this year on private forest lands in southwestern Oregon. There, in the rugged forests of the Klamath Mountains, American Bird Conservancy will collaborate with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Klamath Bird Observatory, and the National Council on Air and Stream Improvement. The partners are undertaking a two-year project to assess and enhance forest management for more than 15 bird species of special concern—including the Rufous Hummingbird.

Given how many acres forest products companies influence there, they can contribute to turning the trends around for Rufous Hummingbird and other birds that depend on various types of forest habitat to survive. By managing with an eye toward biodiversity, these companies create conditions that many birds need for successful breeding, migration, and wintering.

The hummingbird and other focal bird species, in turn, play a crucial role in helping forest products companies manage their acreage sustainably. Scientists have found that certain bird species' requirements for healthy habitat reflect what many other animals need, too.

If it's good for the birds, it's good for many other critters—and a sign of a thriving, well-balanced forest ecosystem.