Southern Research Station

Title: Small-mammal responses to pine regeneration treatments in the Ouachita mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma, USA

Author: Perry, Roger W.; Thill, Ronald E.

Date: 2005

Source: Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 219: 81-94

Description: We compared the initial effects of four forest regeneration treatments (single-tree selection, group selection, shelterwood, and clearcut), and unharvested controls (mature, second-growth forest) on relative abundance of small mammals and small-mammal habitat throughout the Ouachita Mountains of western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. We compared small-mammal capture rates in 20 forest stands (4 replicates of 5 treatments) for 2 years prior to harvest treatments, and 1.5, 3.5, and 5.5 years after treatment. We also examined relationships among small mammals, treatments, and habitat conditions. Before harvest, all stands where characterized by high basal areas (BA), little understory vegetation, and low small-mammal capture rates. Compared with pre-harvest numbers, the number of individuals captured increased nearly five-fold in treated stands 1.5 years after harvest. After harvest, capture rates for all taxa combined were significantly greater in harvested stands (regardless of treatment) than in unharvested controls. Fulvous harvest mice (Reithrodontomys fulvescens) capture rates were greatest in clearcuts. Fulvous harvest mice, cotton rats (Sigmondon hispidus), and pine voles (Microtus pinetorum) were associated with abundant herbaceous vegetation in the understory and low BA. Eastern woodrats (Neotoma Floridana), golden mice (Ochrotomys nuttalli), and Peromyscus spp. were associated with moderate to dense woody vegetation in the understory and intermediate BA levels. No taxon of terrestrial small mammal was captured exclusively in unharvested stands; most taxa we captured appear to be either disturbance-adapted or tolerant to disturbances from timber harvest.

Keywords: Clearcut, forest management, group selection, regeneration, shelterwood, silviculture, single-tree selection, small mammals, timber harvest

View and Print this Publication (1.18 MB)

Pristine Version:  An uncaptured or "pristine" version of this publication is available. It has not been subjected to OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and therefore does not have any errors in the text. However it is a larger file size and some people may experience long download times. The "pristine" version of this publication is available here:

View and Print the PRISTINE copy of this Publication (1.45 MB)

Publication Notes: 

• We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
• This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.

 Get the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat reader or Acrobat Reader for Windows with Search and Accessibility

Citation

Perry, Roger W.; Thill, Ronald E.  2005.  Small-mammal responses to pine regeneration treatments in the Ouachita mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma, USA.   Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 219: 81-94