Nest-site selection by the white-tailed eagle and black stork–implications for conservation practice

Background:Nesting trees and habitat represent the key factor underpinning stand selection by forest-dwelling birds.While two large European species–the black stork(Ciconia nigra L.)and white-tailed eagle(Haliaaetus albicilla L.)–are known to require old,large trees for nesting,we sought to investigate further by comparing species requirements at the levels of the nesting tree,nesting stand,and landscape.This entailed a detailed examination of forest features within circles of radius 15 m surrounding 16 and 19 trees holding the nests of storks and eagles respectively.The same parameters were also checked in the vicinity of 50 randomly-selected mature trees.Results:Our results indicate different nesting preferences,with the eagles entirely confining themselves to Scots pine(Pinus sylvestris L.)–a species also chosen by black storks,which nevertheless regularly favour pedunculate oak(Quercus robur L.).Both species select trees of greater girth than the random ones,but white-tailed eagles choose to nest in the vicinity of patches of mature old stands with a loose canopy,to the extent that nesting trees and surrounding trees are of similar ages.In contrast,black storks prefer“veteran”trees with low-set crowns that are much older than any others in their vicinity.Nesting trees of the eagles are away from roads and close to lakes,while black storks do not avoid roads.Conclusions:As the ages of nesting trees of both species are greater than ages at final cutting in this region’s managed forest,silvicultural measures will need to be adjusted,with small patches of forest spared,or larger areas as“islands”of old-growth.Likewise,as tending and thinning are engaged in,certain trees with horizontal branches will need to remain,with relict trees also left untouched.As it happens,all of these recommendations are anyway key elements of close-to nature silviculture and multifunctional forestry.

Old Family Tree Idea has Changed

CHEN Xueping was born at the beginning of this century, in Sanhe County, Hebei Province. At that time the economy in Sanhe, an agricultural county, was backward with only a few limekilns and coal mines. Chen Xueping married into the Zhang family in Duanjialing Village when

Towards more-than-human heritage:arboreal habitats as a challenge for heritage preservation

Trees belong to humanity’s heritage,but they are more than that.Their loss,through catastrophic fires or under business-as-usual,is devastating to many forms of life.Moved by this fact,we begin with an assertion that heritage can have an active role in the design of future places.Written from within the field of architecture,this article focuses on structures that house life.Habitat features of trees and artificial replacement habitats for arboreal wildlife serve as concrete examples.Designs of such habitats need to reflect behaviours,traditions and cultures of birds,bats,and other animals.Our narrative highlights the nonhuman aspect of heritage,seeking to understand how nonhuman stakeholders can act as users and consumers of heritage and not only as its constituents.Our working definition states that more-than-human heritage encompasses tangible and intangible outcomes of historical processes that are of value to human as well as nonhuman stakeholders.From this basis,the article asks how the established notions of heritage can extend to include nonhuman concerns,artefacts,behaviours and cultures.As a possible answer to this question,the hypothesis tested here is that digital information can(1)contribute to the preservation of more-than-human heritage;and(2)illuminate its characteristics for future study and use.This article assesses the potential of three imaging technologies and considers the resulting data within the conceptual framework of more-than-human heritage,illuminating some of its concrete aspects and challenges.