Thinning
is increasingly being employed in young forests to increase structural
and biological diversity, in some situations with the goal of
enhancing wildlife habitat. Thinning is underway or planned for
hundreds of thousands of acres of forests in western Oregon in
the coming years. In addition, thinning is an approved silvicultural
approach to management of stands less than 80 years old in Late-Successional
Reserves and on Matrix lands. Despite the extensive use of thinning
planned for the near future, limited information is available
that documents the effects of commercial thinning on wildlife
populations, including small mammals. Small mammal communities
contribute to the persistence of ecological functions in forested
stands by serving as a prey base, and by dispersing seeds and
mycorrhizal fungi.
The
purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of different
levels of thinning on small mammal communities. This study is
designed to determine the influences of commercial thinning on
survival, reproduction, and abundance of small mammals, and to
determine the characteristics of habitat at the microsite and
stand level to which small mammals respond.
For additional information about this completed study see the 2001 CFER
Annual Report. (1.1 MB)
