Effects of land use management on biotic integrity: An investigation of bird communities

Biotic integrity showed strong groupings of the five land use classes. We found that bird community integrity was strongly related to roadlessness and that birds primarily responded to the distinction between developed and undeveloped land types. In contrast to roads and human development, forest management impacts in the Adirondacks do not appear to be of a high enough intensity to have significant negative impacts on breeding bird community integrity. Clustering of development is a means by which integrity may be safeguarded for the long term in the Adirondack Park.