270 The Ruffed Grouse 



farmer or woodland operator does not make his woodland cutting 

 plans with regard for grouse needs, it is a fact that most grouse range 

 is the product of the haphazard results of lumbering for various and 

 smidry individual reasons. For better or for worse, the grouse will 

 largely depend upon man as a woodcutter for the character of its 

 cover. 



Use of Fire. For various reasons men sometimes set fire to the land's 

 vegetation. Ofttimes he does so accidentally. It takes no stretching 

 of the imagination to realize that fire in grouse cover will materially 

 affect the birds whatever the cause. It may burn up a nest; quite 

 often does. It may drive the birds out of important units of range 

 for a considerable period of time. Refening to conditions in parts of 

 Missouri, Woodruff (1908) says that the annual burning over of 

 forest floors has removed all tlie suitable cover and caused rapid 

 diminution of the grouse. Forbush ( 1927 ) includes "prevalence of 

 forest fires" among the important factors having much to do with the 

 decrease of this bird. Describing a forest fire, Krieble ( 1941 ) said, 

 "Grouse were incubating their eggs, and time after time we saw 

 birds fly out ahead of the flames utterly frantic; then, completely 

 bewildered they would wheel around and fly headlong back into the 

 flames and perish. How many grouse, and how many clutches of 

 grouse eggs were destroyed that day would be difficult to estimate, 

 but it's certain a severe toll was taken." 



Forest fires in the Northeast today are generally so few, so well 

 controlled and so small that tliey do not greatly affect grouse popu- 

 lations. In fact small woods fires are not aU on the red side of the 

 ledger so far as grouse are concerned. After a year or two of barren- 

 ness, bums usually grow up to briars, cherry, popple, and other 

 shrubs and trees valuable to the grouse. A change in grouse cover 

 bringing good summer range and brood cover is effected. If not too 

 extensive tliis may actually improve the grouse cover conditions. 

 Phillips ( 1937 ) noted that the largest grouse population he had ever 

 encountered was on a tract of land in western Quebec, in the autumn 

 of 1895, which had been burned about seven or eight years pre- 

 viously. 



To sum up, small fires ordinarily do grouse little damage, often 

 benefit them materially. Large and hot fires are apt to be quite 

 destructive and the benefits they bring in cover change are rela- 



