The effects of thinning management on bats and their insect prey in temperate broadleaved woodland

Daubenton’s bat by Chris Damant

Highlights

Thinning significantly alters woodland habitat characteristics.

Common and adaptable bats benefit from thinning.

Rarer bat species that roost predominantly in trees do not.

Tree cavities are most frequent in abandoned woodland.

Bats and insects have opposed non-linear responses to time since management.