and Hugie 1975). This trend is not expected to continue, however, as losses 

 will exceed gains in the future. Unit 6 is expected to maintain its present 

 habitat composition. 



Land development includes roads, highways, and power lines. The effects of 

 these developments on mammals have been studied in Maine (Ferris 1977 and 

 Palman 1977) and elsewhere (Michael 1975; and Schrieber and Graves 1977), and 

 generally are limited to loss of habitat. Some evidence exists that fishers 

 may shy away from habitat adjacent to highways (Palman 1977) and this response 

 might be expected from other species that are easily disturbed by human 

 presence (e.g., bears, marten, and bobcat). Oxley and his colleagues (1974) 

 felt that four-lane highways were a barrier to movements of small mammals but 

 additional evidence of this is lacking. Schrieber and Graves (1977) studied 

 the movements of small mammals across power lines in New Hampshire and found 

 that neither 164 feet (50 m) nor 328 feet (100 m) wide rights-of-way prevented 

 movements of white-footed mice or short-tailed shrews. The concern of 

 planners with regard to highways and transmission lines should be to place 

 them through habitats that are least desirable for mammals (Leedy et al. 

 1978). 



Agricultural land is most abundant in the mid-coast regions. Thirteen percent 

 of Wildlife Management Unit 7 is agricultural, compared with 9% of Unit 8 and 

 only 5% of Unit 6 (table 17-2). Land in production is primarily crop land, 

 pasture land, and blueberry barrens. These lands may be used by mammals as 

 feeding areas, particularly if individual fields are small and interspersed 

 with forest land, abandoned fields, or hedgerows that provide cover. 

 Agricultural lands are least desirable when they encompass large uniform 

 tracts providing a minimum amount of edge habitat and interspersion of 

 habitats . 



Logging is most significant in regions 5 and 6 where commercial timber 

 operations still exist. Habitat modifications resulting from timber 

 harvesting range from very slight in single-tree selection to severe in 

 clearcutting. However, recent increases in firewood consumption will result 

 in more intensive harvesting on small forest lands in all regions of the 

 characterization area. 



The effects of timber harvesting on mammals have been studied since 1974 in a 

 section of northern Maine near Moosehead Lake. This area lies well north of 

 the characterization area but the conclusions are applicable here and anywhere 

 that similar logging practices are employed. The results indicate that the 

 effects on a particular species depend on the extent to which its preferred 

 habitat is increased or decreased by the logging operation. For example, 

 populations of the marten, a species preferring mature softwood and softwood- 

 dominated mixed forests, were reduced 65% to 75% in an area subjected to 

 commercial clearcutting, but were unaffected by a partial cut (Soutiere 1978). 

 In the clearcut area marten moved freely through cuts and hunted in them; 

 however, they used residual uncut softwood patches and partial cut hardwood 

 stands more frequently. 



Moose, on the other hand, responded favorably to clearcutting near Moosehead 

 Lake (Burgason 1977; Monthey 1978; and Schoultz 1978). Schoultz (1978) 

 reported that moose preferred clearcut softwood stands, followed by partial 

 cut mixed stands and uncut forest. He attributed this to the availability of 



17-22 



