Predation risk of artificial ground nests in forest stands, edges, clear-cuts and forested corridors as an ecological indicator

We conducted a 3-year nest predation experiment with artificial ground nests in a boreal forest landscape to investigate the impact of landscape structure (clear-cuts, forest edges, interiors and corridors) on nest predation. The artificial nests in forest corridors had clearly lower predation (12.6%) than nests in clear-cuts (42.5%), forest edges (40.8%), and forest interiors (36.1%) in every year studied. The width of a corridor and the effects of forest-open land edge did not affect nest loss. During the three successive years, the nest predation rate was rather equal between forest and clear-cuts and in one year was highest in clear-cuts.