LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISTICS OF PENNSYLVANIA'S CONSERVATION RESERVE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM GRASSLANDS
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Date
2013-09
Type of Work
Department
Hood College Biology
Program
Biomedical and Environmental Science
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Abstract
Declining grassland bird populations in eastern North America has been a concern
for decades. Changes in landscape structure have contributed to habitat fragmentation, a
factor in population decline. Fragmentation can be evaluated using landscape metrics of
habitat patches. This study enumerated metrics for agricultural lands converted to
grassland through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) in 20
Pennsylvania counties. Using GIS tools, I analyzed spatial data for 5,647 CREP patches,
calculating metrics defining area, edge, shape, isolation and core area. The landscape
surrounding CREP patches was characterized by percent composition of six types of land
cover. A habitat suitability index for grasshopper sparrow was constructed to estimate the
quantity of high quality habitat. Results indicated that small patch size, limited core area,
and high percentage of forested cover in surrounding landscapes are likely to limit
recovery of grassland populations. Targeted enrollment and less intensive management of
neighboring grasslands could improve habitat quality.