Management of the Ruffed Grouse 339 



red pine, arborvitae, red cedar, and the hard pines follow in about 

 that order. In respect to age and size, the best winter cover is made 

 by an all-age stand in which young trees with low-hanging branches 

 are protected by other trees with sturdy boles. When the younger 

 trees are absent, the shelter is entirely up in tlie air and much less 

 useful. This condition often results from an overstocked stand in 

 which the lower branches soon die. Some of the pines, in particular, 

 are apt to develop this way. The solution is to thin the stand as it 

 ages in order to allow some light to reach through to the ground. 

 This may be accomplished by the orderly development of the crop 

 trees and the marketing of the small material for Christmas trees, 

 pulp wood, etc. The trees along tlie edges of the conifer clumps or 

 stands often are limby and of poor form for timber use because of the 

 extra light on the open side. They may well be allowed to remain 

 until mature for their game shelter value. 



IMPROVEMENT OF FOOD BY CUTTINGS 



While it is generally true that any grouse range meeting the 

 shelter needs of grouse will probably have an adequate food supply 

 for a fairly good population, the food problem must not be over- 

 looked. Most woods possess considerable grouse food at certain 

 seasons, but many are seriously deficient in the food requirements 

 for all the seasons. 



Protection from domestic livestock is fundamental to a good food 

 supply. Without it the succulent herbaceous vegetation in the 

 ground cover will be destroyed. The second need in providing for 

 this vitally important phase of the woodland association is a moder- 

 ate crown density over much of the area— sixty to eighty per cent of 

 the ground shaded at midday. This condition is easily maintained 

 by selective cutting of crop trees and by needed thinnings or weed- 

 in gs. Thirdly, a well-balanced association as to species aids in pro- 

 ducing variety in the ground cover. Contrarily, single species stands 

 often have a poor understory. 



The importance of the ground cover plants to the grouse is often 

 overlooked in considering woodland management, particularly since 

 direct control of these plants often seems impossible. Actually, they 

 may be controlled by adjustments in the tree cover. In our discus- 

 sion of the grouse foods it was noted that eight of the first twenty- 



