David R. Patton

The Effects of Timber Harvesting on the Kaibab Squirrel

Lexploitation de la foret reduit la densite de population et augmente laire de deplacement de Sciurus aberti kaibabensis. Influence de divers facteurs: diametre des arbres abattus, densite des arbres abattus, surface dabattage (site etudie: Kaibab National Forest, Arizona)

Evaluating Key Areas by Browse Age and Form Class

Key areas on game range can be evaluated by browse age and form class. A scorecard is used, by which browse condition (good, fair, or poor) and trend (up, stable, or down) are determined from a summary of plant age and form class. By assigning values (5, 10, or 15 points) to each condition and trend class and then summing points, browse on the key area can be expressed as excellent (30), good (25), fair (20), poor (15), or very poor (10). Wildlife managers continually need reliable habitat data for effective management decisions. Evaluation techniques often fail because the sample is too small. The limiting factors in most cases are time, money, and trained personnel. Therefore, continued effort is needed to develop simple, direct techniques that will satisfy objectives of habitat analysis. Big game range analysis on the National Forests in the southwest is based on surveys to determine condition and trend of vegetation on key areas. These areas are portions of a game range that provide food and cover especially during winter months. Key areas usually indicate and can limit the number of animals a range can carry. This article describes a browse survey method currently in use on the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico. It was developed so that key areas on game range could be classified using an adjective rating. The rating is comparable to that used by the Forest Service in allotment analysis. Preliminary work on the browse scorecard was done in 1962 by John W. Bohning and Ernest E. McCrary on the Kaibab National Forest. Wildlife staffmen from 12 National Forests in Arizona and New Mexico contributed to the development of the browse scorecard.

Wildlife and range research needs in northern Mexico and southwestern United States : workshop proceedings, April 20-24, 1981, Rio Rico, Arizona.

—This paper describes the northwest of Mexico, its physiography, climate, soil, and biotic associations, including the Ethnic Groups for their importance in the development of traditional technology.