Shelter 61 



The extensive areas of continuous forest in this northern habitat 

 do not produce as high densities of grouse on an average as do the 

 more southern ranges. The lack of cover type changes ("edges") 

 well distributed over the range is without doubt one of the major 

 factors that keeps down the grouse carrying capacity. The severe 

 climate and the vegetative characteristics contribute importantly 

 too. 



The gross vegetative characteristics of a grouse range are closely 

 allied with forest types and may best be briefly described by the 

 tree species associations found therein. The most indicative forest 

 types in this northern forest range are the spruce-fir group: red 

 spruce-sugar maple-beech (17);^ red spmce (18); red spruce-bal- 

 sam fir ( 19 ) ; paper birch-red spruce-balsam fir ( 20 ) ; white spruce- 

 balsam fir-paper birch (21); balsam fir (22); black spruce (23). 

 The last is a wet soil type, the others are found on well-drained soils. 

 The second very important group, though not as indicative of the 

 range as the first, are the northern hardwoods types, the most preva- 

 lent of which are: sugar maple (14); yellow birch (15); yellow 

 birch-red spruce (16); sugar maple-beech-yellow birch (12). Other 

 common types are: aspen (4); paper birch (6); tamarack (25); and 

 northern white cedar (24). Associated with these key species are 

 many more tree species, many shrubs and herbs. Those of most im- 

 portance to giouse are given in the cover type descriptions later in 

 this chapter. 



The prevalence of the above forest types in the northern range 

 varies from area to area. Of great significance has been the changes 

 in extent of types brought about by lumbering— mainly a change 

 from a predominance of coniferous to hardwood types. This often 

 resulted in the familiar pattern of hardwood ridges and coniferous 

 bottoms. 



The northern range, except that part extending into Canada, con- 

 sists of the Adirondack region of New York, the Green Mountain 

 range in Vermont, the White Mountains in New Hampshire, and 

 all Maine but the most southern portion. 



Northern Appalachian Grouse Range. This middle range extends 

 tlirough all New York and New England not covered by the northern 



'•These are tlie ofBcial Forest Cover Type numbers (Forest Cover Types of 

 the United States; SAF Committee on Forest Types, Journal of Forestry, April, 1932). 

 This reference gives associated tree species and variants. 



