Zebehazy, Laura A.  2002.  Avian and arthropod responses to fuel reduction treatments in the upper Piedmont of South Carolina.  M.S. Thesis.  Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 86 pages.

Forest managers recognize that restoring fire-prone forests will require large-scale reduction of fuels.  In this study, evaluated the effect of fuel reduction techniques on the songbird communities that use the mixed pine-hardwood forest of the upper Piedmont of South Carolina.

• Spring avian abundance, richness, and evenness did not change significantly before and after treatments.
• Winter bird abundance and evenness did not change; however, species richness did increase in treated stands and not in the controls.
• Lack of response across treatment types may have been due to Southern pine beetle impacts, drought, or other variables that were not measured.