600 



MANAGING GROUSE AREAS 



Conversely, the policy of sparing the axe and letting Nature take her course is certain in 

 the long run to produce forests replete with cover furnishing winter shelter but sadly deficient 

 in summer and fall feeding grounds not alone for grouse, but for many other species of wild- 

 life as well. • 



In principle the situation may be much the same where conifers are planted in large blocks, 

 unbroken by brushy openings, hedgerows or hardwoods. Only along the edges will such 

 plots be much used by grouse. On the other hand, properly thinned and opened up to 

 encourage a mixed stand of hardwoods and conifers rather than a dense, lightless evergreen 

 mass, a plantation can be quite attractive to grouse. By leaving strips, along hedgerows, old 

 apple orchards, thornapple clumps, swales and similar cover furnishing food for grouse, 

 unplanted much can be done to provide vegetative variety. Most plantations lack this from 

 the time the tree crowns meet until opened up again bv thinning or lumbering operations. 



AN IDEAL ED(;F. SUCH AS THIS IS OF MORE VALl'E FOR H U.DI.Il K THAN AS A SITE ON WHU M TO 



PI.VNT EVERGREENS 



In considering reforeslalidn one must remember lluil it is an acti\it\ aimed piimarilv al 

 restoring idle, run down acres to a productive .status. Kor this |)urposc there arc sound rea- 

 sons for planting conifers in close rows. So long as this practice is followed, there will be 

 periods in which the trees are growing up when grouse will be found largely along the edges, 

 uidess openings arc ))rovidcd within. Once the crop trees become merchantable and cutting 

 is begun, however, conditions for grouse are bound to improxe. F.ventualh, uidess the forest 

 is clear-cut and replanted again to conifers, the composition ma\ be expected to approach 

 that of the surrounding woodlands. The suggestions, given in llic preceding paraiiiaph sim- 

 ply tend to hasten this day. 



