Response of Small Mammals to Forest Clearings 

 Created by Herbicides in the Central Appalachians 



William C. McComb 



and 

 Robert L. Rumsey ' 



Department of Forestry, 

 University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40546 

 ABSTRACT. — Removal trapping was used to determine relative 

 abundance of six small mammals species on uncut, clearcut, and 

 herbicide-treated plots on ridgetop, southfacing and northfacing sites 

 in eastern Kentucky. Four rates of picloram-based herbicides were 

 tested. Twenty-nine microsite characteristics were measured at each 

 trap station to determine variables important to capture of each spe- 

 cies. Clearcuts supported 1.5 times as many small mammals as uncut 

 plots. Relative abundance of Sorex fumeus, Peromyscus leucopus, 

 Ochrotomys nuttalli, and Microtus pinetorum was higher on at least 

 one of the treatments than on untreated plots. Sorex fumeus was cap- 

 tured more frequently on northfacing slopes than on ridgetops. Rela- 

 tive abundances of Blarina brevicauda and Tamias striatus were unaf- 

 fected by treatment. Proximity to edge was found to be important to 

 capture of B. brevicauda, T striatus, and P. leucopus. Changes in 

 structure of overstory and understory, as well as in snag, log, stump 

 and /or rock characteristics, accounted for differential responses of 

 four species to treatments. Sorex fumeus, B. brevicauda, T. striatus, 

 and P. leucopus were more tolerant of a wide range of available habi- 

 tats than were O. nuttalli or M. pinetorum. 



INTRODUCTION 



Forest disturbance by clearcutting in small blocks is an accepted 

 method of increasing diversity and/ or abundance of those wildlife spe- 

 cies that benefit from two or more kinds of habitats (Kirkland 1977). 

 Effects of forest cutting on small mammal communities have been inves- 

 tigated by Gentry et al. (1968), and Hahn and Michael (1980). The 

 structure and composition of understory were reported to be important 

 to soricids, sciurids, cricetids, and microtines by Dueser and Shugart 

 (1978) and Geier and Best (1980). Herbicides affect understory composi- 

 tion and structure, and are frequently used in forest management prac- 

 tices (Dewey 1980; Loftis 1978). McCaffery et al. (1974) found picloram 

 herbicide to be useful in maintaining wildlife clearings in Minnesota, 

 and such herbicides are considered more desirable than others for creat- 

 ing forest clearings because of low toxicity to many vertebrate species 

 (McCollister and Leng 1969). We know of no studies that compare wild- 

 life use of picloram-created forest clearings with clearcut or uncut areas. 



1 Present address: Department of Agriculture, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, 

 Louisiana 70601. 



Brimleyana No. 8: 1 2 1 - 1 34. December 1 982 121 



