Abstract
Regional differences in stand-scale habitat selection by American martens (Martes americana) suggest that attributes other than stand age and dominant overstory-species composition are responsible for observed habitat associations. Although several investigators have suggested that martens require complex forest structure, few studies have attempted to quantify the relationship between structural attributes and patterns of habitat occupancy by martens. In a forest reserve in northern Maine, USA, we compared characteristics of coarse woody debris (CWD), understory vegetation, and overstory vegetation between 16-ha areas with high use versus low use by 57 (34 M, 23 F) resident, nonjuvenile (≥1 yr) martens. High-use areas had relatively greater volumes of CWD (P=0.07), primarily associated with higher volume (P=0.03) and density (P=0.08) of root masses, and lower densities of live trees (P=0.09); those areas were typically mixed coniferous-deciduous stands with substantial mortality of balsam fir trees from a spruce-budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) epidemic in the early 1980s. Structural differences between high-use and low-use areas were small, however, and a logistic regression model of use intensity based on these characteristics did not reliably differentiate patterns of spatial use. We conclude that forest structure occurred at or above minimum thresholds required by martens throughout our study area, which had high marten densities and was dominated by mature, well-stocked forests. We present estimates of forest structure that may be used as conservative minimum structural thresholds for martens.
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Payer, D., Harrison, D. (2005). Relationships between Forest Structure and Habitat Use by American Martens in Maine, USA. In: Harrison, D.J., Fuller, A.K., Proulx, G. (eds) Martens and Fishers (Martes) in Human-Altered Environments. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-22691-5_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-22691-5_8
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