Wildlife occurrence patterns and microhabitat use in logged and thinned forests of Gyeongnam and Gyeongbuk Provinces, South Korea
This study investigated the relationship between microhabitat structure, environmental factors, and wildlife occurrence patterns in logged and thinned forests. We surveyed medium- and large-sized mammals, small mammals, and birds at 34 sites in Changwon, Changnyeong, and Uljin, South Korea. These sites included forests one and ten years after thinning or logging. Medium- and large-sized mammals were monitored using camera traps, small mammals were captured using Sherman live traps, and birds were recorded using line transect and point count methods. Habitat variables included forest density, vertical canopy cover, plant species composition, and landscape- and human-related factors. We used non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), analysis of similarities (ANOSIM), similarity percentage analysis (SIMPER), and self-organizing map (SOM) analyses to assess species occurrence patterns and their relationships with environmental variables. Our results showed that forest density, vertical vegetation structure, and dominant plant species composition varied among forestry practice types and time-since-management classes. Medium- and large-sized mammal species composition exhibited partial differences among practice types and was associated with forest density and understory structure. In contrast, bird and small mammal species composition was not clearly differentiated by practice type alone, although species-level occurrence patterns were associated with forest density, understory cover, and human disturbance. Overall, microhabitat structure and environmental conditions, rather than practice type, were more strongly associated with species-level occurrence patterns. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining forest density, understory development, and habitat connectivity in managed forests.