Kelly brings upan important point with the comments listed below. I burden
Tweeters with a further comment only because birders are unique in that
they exercise their interest year round, and thus understand that an
animals behavior changes seasonally.
Kelly is very correct in stating that the conversion to young
dense lodgepole stands by silvicultural methods is intended to create
foraging habitat for the primary prey of lynx, the snowshoe hare. These
studies are based principally on field observation of munching on young
lodgepole, and detailed, tedious pellet counts in established plots.
Pellet counts entails removing all of the hare pellets from a plot in sept
and going back when the snow is gone and counting pellets.
There is no question that hare forage in young stands of lodgepole
at some time during the year. What we have observed over the last 5 years,
however, is that in the winter they prefer to forage and associate in old
growth mixed conifer stands. I certainly can not state why this is, but
would speculate on a combination of enhanced thermal cover, preator
security and possibly distinct nutritional differences in young and mature
conifers in winter. This sesaonal use is not measurable by pellet counts,
as it may only reflect 1-3 months of use wheras pellet counts avg up tp 9
months of use.
Most management procedures protect old growth stands and for
predators with large ranges and ability to travel, small disturbances may
not be critical. But for species with small home ranges, the proximity of
all required habitat conditions, such as old growth stands and
regenerating lodgepole, and the size of these different habitats may be
key in survival and reproduction.
Clearly,the lynx that we have observed concur that hunting is more
profitable in old growth mixed conifer stands in the winter. My concern
with current management schemes is that many call for large conversions of
old growth lodgepole (clearcutting, actually this is the foestry
equivalent of ethnic cleansing) to young stands under the premise that
hare only use the young growth. It behoves all of us to keep an open mind,
and question inconsistencies. Of course, getting out in the winter to see
all of this helps too. Hopefully this will spark a discussion on seasonal
bird behavior and habitat needs.
Mary

Kelly wrote:
Wonderful to sit here at sea level and hear about the movements of Lynx in
our Okanogan Highlands. I wonder if the intention of the management
guidelines is to provide habitat for the primary forage species, Snowshoe
Hare, rather than actually providing habitat in which the foraging
activities of Lynx are believed to occur. I know that the management
guidelines call for a mix of different forest stand ages. There is no
intention to eliminate the old-growth component. It is my understanding
that fire suppression has resulted in loss of considerable amounts of
young, over-stocked lodgepole stands that were typical over vast acreages
in historic times. These "thickets" are excellent snowshoe hare habitat,
are they not?

Mary Poss
Department of Microbiology
Box 357242
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
mposs at u.washington.edu