Large mammals. — Many large mammals require 

 some sort of relatively dense cover for security and 

 edges or openings for feeding. Those that migrate 

 also frequently require corridors of cover between 

 summer and winter ranges or extensive open ranges. 



Major considerations in managing habitat for 

 selected species are listed below: 



Species 



General considerations 

 in management 



White-tailed Flourish in second-growth, 

 deer discontinuous forests man- 



aged under short rotations. 

 Mixture of hardwoods and 

 softwoods preferred. Timber 

 harvesting in old-growth for- 

 ests beneficial. Winter range 

 can be limiting in West. 



Elk Require nearly continuous 



corridors of mature timber 

 on migratory routes for cover. 

 Because winter range is gen- 

 erally limited in extent, im- 

 proving forage production on 

 winter range is critical. 



Antelope Domestic livestock can be 



serious competitors for for- 

 age on heavily grazed lands. 

 Pass-through range fencing 

 necessary to allow free move- 

 ment. Transplanting is occa- 

 sionally valuable. 



Javelina Brush encroachment on heav- 



ily grazed southwestern ranges 

 provides habitat. Most prac- 

 tices that encourage grasses 

 are detrimental. 



Bighorn Major problem is limited suit- 



sheep able habitat. Transplanting 



to unoccupied areas has been 

 successful. Contact with do- 

 mestic sheep should be min- 

 imized to minimize transfer 

 of parasites. 



Black bear Generally require large blocks 

 of forest interspersed with 

 grasslands. Some timbering 

 and grazing is tolerable. Con- 

 frontations with humans fre- 

 quently lead to eradication or 

 transplanting. 



Moose Require willow bottom ripar- 



ian habitats for overwinter- 

 ing, but can destroy food 

 supply if not controlled. Con- 

 trolled burning is often effec- 

 tive in increasing food supply. 



Turkey Eastern turkeys require hard- 



wood forests with open under- 

 stories. Rio Grande turkeys 

 are affected by heavy live- 

 stock grazing pressures. Mer- 

 riam's turkeys require both 

 forested uplands and open 

 ponderosa pine stands and 

 minimal disturbances. 



Small mammals. — Small mammals include spe- 

 cies with a variety of often competing habitat require- 

 ments. For example, because squirrels den in older 

 trees, long rotations in timber-producing areas are 

 advantageous. By contrast, rabbits require forests in 

 early stages of succession, so timber harvesting on 

 short rotations is most advantageous. 



Several systems have been devised to insure a wide 

 variety of habitats are maintained."" Timber man- 

 agement systems that lead to mixtures of newly 

 regenerated areas, and a variety of age classes are 

 necessary. Prescribed burning is probably the most 

 widely-used technique for obtaining desired charac- 

 teristics of vegetative understories. 



Many small mammals depend heavily on the under- 

 story vegetation in riparian zones and wetlands. 

 Where those habitats are relatively scarce, as in the 

 Great Plains and Southwest, the understory vegeta- 

 tion has frequently been destroyed by cattle. The 

 most useful first step in management is often simply 

 fencing; attention can then be directed to stimulating 

 plant growth."' 



The major available example of direct population 

 manipulation is the introduction of the nutria to the 

 United States. This furbearer is now found in at least 

 14 States and in 1976 yielded furs worth more than $8 

 million to trappers and fur farmers. 



•"•See, for example, Holbrook, H. L. A system of wildlife habitat 

 management on southern National Forests. Wildlife Society Bull. 

 2(3):1 19-123. 1974. Siderits, K. and R. E. Radtke. Enhancing 

 forest wildlife habitat through diversity. In Trans., No. Amer. 

 Wildl. and Nat. Res. Conf. 42:425-434. 1977. U.S. Department of 

 Agriculture. Wildlife habitats in managed forests — the Blue 

 Mountains of Oregon and Washington. Agr. Handb. 553, 

 Washington, D.C. 512 p. 1979. 



"' See, for example, separate papers by C. R. Ames and by J. P. 

 Hubbard, In Johnson, R. R., and D. A. Jones (Tech. Coord.). 

 Importance, preservation and management of riparian habitat. 

 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Gen. Tech. Rep. 

 RM-43. Rocky Mountain For. and Range Experiment Station, 

 Fort Collins, Colo. 217 p. 1977. 



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