Landowner's Guide to Wildlife Habitat: Forest Management for the New England Region

by Richard M. DeGraaf

Overview

This is a concise introduction to practical forest wildlife habitat management for private landowners, who own most of the forested habitat in New England, the eastern United States, and adjacent Canada. In non-technical terms, experts from the U.S. Forest Service provide useful information about plans that can improve forests, enhance production of forest products, increase the diversity of wildlife, and increase enjoyment of forest lands through sound forest management. The book discusses the history of land use and natural changes in forest environments, why species come and go, and how the scale and presence of special features can create a diversity of wildlife habitats. The authors explain management strategies that contribute to wildlife diversity, how to set goals and work with professional foresters to meet your goals, and project how managed lands will look in the future. They show how to determine what kinds of habitat will be used by various wildlife species, how to consider land capability and the mixture of habitat features necessary to attract desired species groups, and how to get started changing existing vegetative conditions through thoughtful management. Exceptional full-color illustrations, charts, and tables enhance the clear presentation of the text, geared specifically for landowners interested in getting started on improving habitat conditions on their land.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781584654674
Publisher:	University Press of New England
Publication date:	04/27/2005
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

RICHARD M. DEGRAAF is Leader of the U.S. Forest Service Wildlife Habitat Research Unit at Amherst, Massachusetts. Among his many publications are New England Wildlife: Habitat, Natural History, and Distribution (UPNE, 2000), and Trees, Shrubs, and Vines for Attracting Birds, second edition, revised (UPNE, 2002). MARIKO YAMASAKI is Research Wildlife Biologist at the U.S. Forest Service in Durham, New Hampshire. She is co-author of UPNE’s New England Wildlife: Habitat, Natural History, and Distribution. WILLIAM B. LEAK is principal silviculturalist with the Northern Hardwoods Research Unit, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station in Durham, New Hampshire. ANNA M. LESTER is a wildlife biologist who conducts geographical information systems research for the U.S. Forest Service Wildlife Research Unit in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Preface • Acknowledgements • Background • Pre-European Conditions • European Settlement Period • Wildlife Responses to Landscape Change • Why Can't We Just Let Nature Take Its Course? • Understanding Wildlife Habitats • Wildlife Habitat • Community Organization and Structure • Management Practices • Other Factors Affecting Wildlife Populations • Visualizing Forest Change and Wildlife Responses • Northern New England • No Management Scenario • Uneven-Aged Management Scenario • Even-Aged Management Scenario • Summary • Southern New England • No Management Scenario • Uneven-Aged Management Scenario • Even-Aged Management Scenario • Summary • Getting Started: An Inventory Checklist and a Prescription Key • Monitoring Your Success • Points to Remember • Appendixes • Appendix A: Common Woodland Wildlife Species Occuring in New England • Appendix B: Agencies and Organizations That Provide Technical Information • State Agencies that Provide Habitat Management Recommendations in New England • State Natural Heritage Programs That Privide Information on Ecosystems and Rare Species in New England • State Cooperative Extension Wildlife Specialists in New England • Sources of Spatial Information for Landscape Context in New England • Timberland and Woodland Owners Groups in New England • New England Forestry Links on the Internet • Notes On The Images Created To Visualize Forest Change • Literature Cited • Further Reading

What People are Saying About This

David B. Kittredge

"This is the book landowners, foresters, and others have been waiting for. DeGraaf and Yamasaki have merged their encyclopedic knowledge of New England wildlife and habitat with the legendary silvicultural expertise of Bill Leak. The concepts of habitat management through silvicultural prescription are abundantly illustrated with relevant photography, as well as vivid computer graphic visualizations by Anna Lester that show changes through time across landscapes. More than just a text book on habitat and silvicultural application, this book provides important background on land use history and ecology of the northeast. This book will be useful to landowners considering their alternatives, and managers making decisions or needing to explain them."
— David B. Kittredge, Extension Forester / Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Editorial Reviews

“This book constitutes a big and bold salvo in the already contentious battles over the value of extensive uncut forests and the ecological effects of significant clearcuts. It is written by highly respected experts, and the goals of the book and of the forest management they advocate are clear—that more wildlife species are better.”—Northern Woodlands


“A comprehensive look at how forested properties can be managed to benefit wildlife and to be sources of forest products in a responsible manner.”—Portland Press Herald


“Useful resource for land trusts and woodlot owners looking to develop their own management plans.”—Northeastern Naturalist, vol. 3 no.1


“If there is one fact the book brings home it is that forests are always changing, and that the operative word may well be diversity.”—The (Milford, NH) CABINET

From the Publisher