shelter 63 



winter snow blanket, and consequently has a moderate climate 

 compared with the more northern ranges. It is fairly densely inhab- 

 ited by man and quite broken up with farm land, although less so 

 than the northern Appalachian range type. There are some areas of 

 rather extensive forest, as in western Virginia and eastern West Vir- 

 ginia. It was mostly untouched by the last glaciers. Its better gi'ouse 

 coverts are highly productive but, other factors being equal, prob- 

 ably are not quite as densely populated with grouse as are the 

 middle range. The carrying capacity is generally somewhat higher 

 than that of the most northern range. 



The more important forest types included in the southern range 

 are: southern red oak-scarlet oak (34); bear oak (35); chestnut oak 

 ( 36 ) ; pitch pine ( 37 ) ; shortleaf pine ( 38 ) ; shortleaf pine-southern 

 red oak-scarlet oak ( 40 ) ; shortleaf pine-Virginia pine ( 42 ) ; Virginia 

 pine-southern red oak (43); Virginia pine (44); eastern red cedar 

 (46); black locust (47); white oak-black oak-red oak (49); red oak- 

 basswood- white ash ( 51 ) ; red oak ( 52 ) ; yellow poplar- white oak- 

 red oak ( 55 ) . It is clear that the dominant group in this part of the 

 range are the oaks. These types, by themselves, are not veiy pro- 

 ductive of grouse.^ The conifers are primarily the hard pines. In 

 middle age to maturity the forest is predominantly hardwood, as 

 these pines are all short-lived, pioneer species. 



The grouse range in the southern part of the Northeast, as with 

 the middle area, is found mainly on the areas not suited to farming. 

 To a gieater degree than in New York and Pennsylvania, the ruffed 

 grouse is found in the mountainous country which is often continu- 

 ous forest except for the valleys. Forest fires and livestock grazing 

 have been more prevalent in this region than farther north. Another 

 commonly detrimental factor to grouse here, along with other game 

 species, has been the prevalence of continuous hillbilly hunting. 



COVER TYPES— CHARACTERISTICS AND COMPOSITION 



There is abundant evidence that grouse react to differences be- 

 tween certain types of plant associations and between some age 

 classes of a plant association. These constitute the cover types of 



^ T. E. Clark of Virginia told the author that on the George Washington National 

 Forest ninety per cent of the grouse are on ten per cent of the range, almost none 

 in the extensive oak types. 



