A StoryMap from a bird’s eye view: Bird friendly forestry in West Virginia
After a long annual migration from South America, many Golden-winged Warblers, Wood Thrushes and Cerulean Warblers nest and breed in West Virginia.
However, due to historical forest management practices, much of the diverse habitat they need has been lost, leading to steep population declines. These birds – critical to forest health – need our help to restore and reconnect their lost habitat.
With 70% private forest ownership in West Virginia, landowners can play a key role in saving these species from extinction by creating habitat connectivity through bird-friendly forestry: an ecological forest management approach.
To help landowners learn about and implement bird-friendly forestry, we created a StoryMap from a bird’s-eye view with our partners Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture (AMJV) and Forest Stewards Guild. We welcome you to explore the StoryMap below.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact AMJV here, Forest Stewards Guild here, or Wildlands Network here.
This project was funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Meet the Birds at Risk in West Virginia
The Cerulean Warbler, the Golden-winged Warbler, and the Wood Thrush are three songbirds in West Virginia currently experiencing steep population declines, putting them at risk of extinction. These songbirds utilize a variety of habitats throughout their lifecycle, so homogenous forests throughout West Virginia are contributing to their habitat loss.
Golden-winged Warblers
Cerulean Warbler
Wood Thrush
Mapping Key Forest Bird Habitats
To better understand where these threatened birds live, Wildlands Network created an interactive map of key forest bird habitats, which highlights their core forests and the corridors that connect them. In addition, we incorporated bird occupancy locations for viewers to see where Golden-winged Warblers, Wood Thrushes, and Cerulean Warblers have been found.
Explore the map in the StoryMap above, or in the interactive map below.
Explore threatened bird habitats
Golden-winged Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Wood Thrushes