Identification of main variables in forest management for recovery of endemic species habitat in burned areas of southern Chile

Abstract

Wildfires are among the most serious disturbances that affect forest biodiversity, damaging both flora and fauna. In some burned areas,  vegetation recovery is a long and complex process that requires the support of restorative actions. This study evaluated changes in forest  structural features after a fire that affect habitat suitability for Rhinocryptids, an endemic group of bird species that are indicators  of biodiversity in the temperate forests of South America. The study area was the Malleco National Reserve, Chile, where the main  ecosystems are temperate forests. Four species from the Rhinocryptidae family of birds were used as bioindicator species. This group of  species is endemic to temperate forests in South America. After fires occurred in 2002 and 2015, affecting temperate forests dominated  by several Nothofagus species, two field inventories were carried out in 2016 and 2018. These inventories recorded the presence of  Rhinocryptids and some forests structural features. Differences between the two stages of forest regeneration were assessed using  statistical tests (T-test and Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test) and a classification model was proposed to determine the presence of  Rhinocryptidae species. The statistical analysis of forest structural features showed that the variables more relevant in the habitat  recuperation are vertical stratification (p-value < 0.001) and understory cover (p-value = 0.053). The trained decision tree to predict the  presence of Rhinocryptidae species had an accuracy of 65.22%. This model showed that the coexistence of more than one Rhinocryptidae  species occurs when vertical stratification is not mono-stratified and the density is lower than 335 trees ha⁻¹. Our results can help forest  managers to consider