David Rankin, M.S. (鈥14) publishes thesis in 鈥楩orest Ecology and Management鈥
David Rankin, M.S. (Biological Sciences, 鈥14), published his master鈥檚 thesis in the most recent issue of the international journal Forest Ecology and Management. Noah Perlut, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Studies, co-authored the paper.
The article, 鈥淭he effects of Forest Stand Improvement Practices on occupancy and abundance of breeding songbirds,鈥 evaluated the effectiveness of the Forest Stand Improvement initiative implemented in 2010 by the Vermont Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and Audubon Vermont. The initiative was designed to improve timber quality while increasing habitat diversity for forest breeding songbirds.
The study concluded that the initiative had a slightly positive impact on avian habitat.
Rankin was co-advised in his study by Perlut and Steven Travis, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biology.