40 J. P. Phelps and R. A. Lancia 



are a forest wetland species, whereas leopard frogs are more ubiquitous 

 (Mount 1975). Enge and Marion (1986) found fewer southern leopard 

 frogs in clearcuts than in control areas in southern pine flatwoods. 



Eastern narrowmouth toads emerge from burrows only when ground 

 water is sufficiently pooled for breeding. Reduced evapotranspiration 

 in the clearcut (Perison et al. 1993) may have increased the likelihood 

 of these frogs receiving the cue to emerge. Skidder tire ruts may have 

 had a similar effect on these and the other frog species, as they were 

 a source of fish-free breeding pools (Phelps 1993). 



Two species of treefrogs were captured, and these showed opposing 

 preferences. Green treefrogs may have predominated in the clearcut 

 because the traps (treefrog pipes) were level with their habitat (leafy 

 sprouting vegetation). Green treefrogs may have been equally abundant 

 in the control (as suggested by the number of control captures, Table 

 2), but may have been living higher than the traps were sampling. 

 Gray treefrogs were rarely captured, and the reason again may have 

 been that the traps were too low. The removal of trees in the clearcut 

 may have excluded gray treefrogs because their habitat (tree boles) 

 was removed. In the case of the green treefrogs in the clearcut, their 

 habitat quickly returned, but at a lower height. Overall, the treefrog 

 pipe method showed promise, as it was inexpensive and trapped 

 significant numbers of frogs while causing them no apparent stress. 



Reptiles may have preferred the clearcut because of increased 

 temperature and insolation. A basking reptile would be at an advantage 

 in the direct sun of the clearcut because it could achieve active temperatures 

 faster and remain active longer through the day. Bury and Corn (1988), 

 working in the Pacific Northwest, found that "reptiles predominate in 

 clearcuts, most likely responding to increased ambient tempera- 

 tures in such areas." The presence of a large amount of slash in the 

 clearcut may have provided a valuable habitat component in the form 

 of cover for reptiles or their prey. Reptiles that seemed to prefer the 

 control included ringneck snakes (Diadophis punctatus), copperheads 

 (Agkistrodon contortix), common musk turtles, and eastern box turtles. 

 The reasons for these preferences are not clear, although ringneck 

 snakes were the smallest and most fossorial reptile species regularly 

 captured, and may have been less dependent on basking and more 

 dependent on an undisturbed forest floor. 



Recommendations and Conclusions 



Clearcut size is one factor to be considered when planning for 

 natural forest regeneration in forested wetlands. Amphibians and reptiles 

 have relatively small home range sizes (Duellman and Trueb 1986) 

 and, therefore, cannot disperse from or quickly recolonize impacted 



