Shelter 89 



Hardwood Woods: The various types of hardwood stands are 

 ratlier mediocre grouse cover unless interspersed with one or both 

 of the conifer or mixed-woods types. Witli this interspersion, the 

 hardwoods are important as nesting cover in tlie spring, and as 

 feeding cover most of the year. It is not good roosting cover, except 

 as the birds sleep on nests and drumming logs in the spring. The 

 hardwood types are most important in spring and summer, least 

 important in tlie winter. The proportion of use for each season on 

 Connecticut Hill was: summer, thirty-six per cent; spring, twenty- 

 nine per cent; fall, twenty-two per cent; winter, seventeen per cent. 



The hardwood group, apart from species composition, may con- 

 veniently be composed into three types, according to age class and 

 density: mature hardwoods, with a high proportion of the trees over 

 twelve inches d.b.h., and sparse understory; submature stands with 

 few trees over twelve inches, and a good understory. Either of the 

 former may have scattered large trees recently removed leaving 

 small openings in the crowai, usually with brambles filling in these 

 spots. The latter may be called "spot-lumbered." The mature stands 

 are definitely inferior to the other two as grouse cover and receive 

 little use. Theoretically, owing to the small scattered openings, the 

 spot-lumbered type should be superior to the subclimax hardwoods 

 from spring to fall. This proves true in the fall, but for some reason 

 fails in spring and summer. In the spring it proved to be less inten- 

 sively used than the regular type. The explanation for the failure of 

 the statistics to support logic may be inadequate data for the spot- 

 lumbered type. 



The hardwood type most prevalent on Connecticut Hill was the 

 beech-birch-maple association. This seems to be the most satisfac- 

 tory of the hardwood types for giouse. In order of their value, the 

 other common hardwood types in northeastern grouse range are: 

 northern hardwoods, oak-hickory, and oak. All these types mav be 

 subdivided according to age class and density. These hardwood 

 types all exist extensively without appreciable conifer admixture, 

 and as such are poor grouse range. 



Slashings: Areas that have been clearcut in recent years furnish 

 excellent cover for summer use. At all other seasons it is relatively 

 unimportant as a cover type. Slashings have a second use, however, 

 that may be even more important than its cover use, certainly so 

 when considered apart from summer. Within wooded areas slashings 

 serve to create openings, hence edges, and thus serve grouse range 



