How to select forest patches

Please do not select forest patches where you know your study species are already breeding this season. For example, if you find a Cooper’s Hawk nesting in a forest patch, do not intentionally place a study site around the nest. Selecting such sites biases the data. Ideally, you should select forest patches before the birds start breeding. Select only forest patches that contain appropriate habitat capable of supporting your study species. You may select forest patches where your study species have been casually observed in past breeding seasons.

   To locate forest patches, use topographic maps, aerial photographs, or survey the region by driving roads or walking trails. Sources of maps and photos are listed in References: Map Resources. You’ll also find that a recent aerial photo or a map showing forested areas will be useful for measuring habitat variables (see “Landscape Level Characteristics”).

   Look for discrete islands of forest (forest patches) surrounded by nonforest habitat. Try to find at least eight forest patches in a range of sizes. We prefer that your study site be mostly forested, but in certain situations such as very small woodlots, riparian strips, or areas accessible only by car, it is acceptable to have nonforested portions in your site (see Figure 1). In many cases, defining a discrete forest patch will be difficult, especially in areas where a patchwork of forest stands are interconnected by corridors. For the purpose of BFL, these areas are considered part of one large, contiguous forest patch. If you can locate only one or a few forest patches or only continuous forest, data from points in these forests will be useful to BFL.