Differences in Avian Community Assemblages Across Forest Type and Age in a Disturbed Jack Pine Barrens

Caley Doell¹, Luke P. Tyrrell², and Mark R. Lesser^1,*

¹Center for Earth and Environmental Science, SUNY Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh NY 12901. ²Biological Sciences, SUNY Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh NY 12901. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 33, Issue 1 (2026): 44–59

First published early online: 13 February 2026

Abstract
The northeastern US is home to rare, disturbance-dependent pine barrens ecosystems within the dominant hardwood forest landscape, which host high species diversity and play an important role in diversifying habitat structure. The objectives of this study were to understand how bird communities differ based on forest type (pine barrens versus northern hardwood/mixed-wood forests) and successional stage within the pine barrens. The Altona Flat Rock, in northeastern New York, is a globally rare ecosystem dominated by Pinus banksiana (Jack Pine). We surveyed bird communities across 2 Jack Pine stands that originated following wildfires in 1957 and 2018, and surrounding hardwood forest. Results suggest that Jack Pine habitat within the landscape is important for maintaining unique species and landscape-level diversity.

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