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Habitat Restoration for the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker

© Kathryn Morse

I recently talked to Lynn Jackson, District Wildlife Biologist for the Winn Ranger District of the Kisatchie National Forest, about the U. S. Forest Service's efforts to restore the habitat of the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker. (Scientific name - Picoides borealis) By the way, the red-cockaded woodpecker actually does not have the red head commonly associated with woodpeckers, but rather has a black and white striped head giving way to a black body.

The red-cockaded woodpecker is indigenous to the southeastern U.S. and for decades its preferred habitat, stands of long-leaf pine, have become scarce threatening the species with extinction. In 1839 Audubon wrote that the red-cockaded woodpecker was abundant, however logging of southern long-leaf pine forests from 1880 to the present have destroyed much of the areas suitable for this species. Only about 10,000 remain.

The red-cockaded woodpecker prefers a park-like environment with old (60+ years) long-leaf pines providing the canopy above grassland. Modern logging techniques have had two negative impacts on the existence of this habitat in the U.S. south. First, as the old stands of long-leaf pines have been logged, hardwoods, such as oak, red maple and sweet gum, have moved in. Also, where replanting of pine has taken place, lumber companies and others have chosen to plant loblolly pines which have a greater growth spurt when young, rather than the slower growing long leaf pines. Combined, the hardwood encroachment and the replacement of long-leaf stands with loblolly stands, little is left of the needed habitat for the red-cockaded woodpecker.

Why does this species prefer long-leaf pines to loblolly pines? The long-leaf pine is susceptible to a fungus called red-heart disease. This fungus causes the wood to soften. And in turn it is easier for the woodpecker to make a cavity in long-leaf pines for sleeping and nesting.

Another advantage of the long-leaf pine is the large amount of resin or sap that the tree produces. This makes long-leaf pines more resistant to fire and to bark beetles than other species of pine. The sap literally pushes beetles other other pests out.

The red-cockaded woodpecker was practically ignored until 1970 when studies showed its numbers decreasing. Now, the U.S. Forest Service is attempting to restore suitable habitat in the Kisatchie National Forest in northwest Louisiana.

At this time the Forest Service is conducting prescribed or controlled burning to kill hardwood saplings encroaching on the pine forest. Larger red maples and sweet gums will be cut. Where possible, oaks and dogwoods will be left to provide mast for deer, squirrels and turkey, also indigenous to the area.

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