Avian Ecology and Conservation in Boreal Forests

The boreal forest constitutes one of the planet’s largest terrestrial biomes, stretching across North America, Eurasia and Scandinavia. It supports a rich avifauna adapted to coniferous and mixedwood habitats shaped by cyclical disturbances such as fire, insect outbreaks and logging. Key ecological processes include seasonal migrations, breeding in late spring and the use of distant wintering grounds, which link boreal habitats to tropical ecosystems. Birds in this region perform vital functions such as insect regulation, seed dispersal and nutrient cycling, while also serving as indicators of ecosystem health. In recent decades, climate warming, changes in disturbance regimes and intensifying forest management have led to shifts in habitat composition, population trends and community structure. Conservation efforts now integrate forecasting of habitat change, adaptive management of harvesting practices and landscape-scale planning to maintain breeding habitats, migratory corridors and genetic connectivity. Innovative monitoring methods and modelling approaches are expanding our ability to assess population dynamics and to prioritise areas for protection and restoration at regional to continental scales, thereby informing policies that reconcile timber production, carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Avian Ecology and Conservation in Boreal Forests publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in avian ecology and conservation in boreal forests across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Boreal forest: A biome dominated by coniferous trees, characterised by cold climates, periodic disturbance and nutrient-poor soils.

Assemblage dissimilarity: A measure of change in species community composition between two areas or time periods, decomposed into turnover and nestedness components.

Emissions scenario (e.g. RCP8.5): A representative concentration pathway projecting greenhouse-gas concentrations and associated climate change trajectories.

Landscape simulation model (e.g. LANDIS-II): A spatially explicit tool used to project forest succession, disturbance dynamics and habitat changes over time.

Adaptive management: An iterative decision-making process that monitors ecological responses and adjusts conservation actions accordingly.

References

1. Are forest management practices to improve carbon balance compatible with maintaining bird diversity under climate change? A case study in Eastern North America. PLOS Climate (2024).
2. Effects of global change on bird and beetle populations in boreal forest landscape: An assemblage dissimilarity analysis. Diversity and Distributions (2023).
3. Projected effects of climate change on boreal bird community accentuated by anthropogenic disturbances in western boreal forest, Canada. Diversity and Distributions (2020).