SMALL MAMMAL COMMUNITIES IN STREAMSIDE MANAGEMENT ZONES

Populations of small mammals were sampled in six streamside management zones (SMZs) of three widths: narrow (15 m), medium (30 m), and wide (50 m), which extended through a three-year-old pine plantation. We al so sampled the pine plantation and a nearby mature riparian forest. Tw o hundred and twenty-eight small mammals from 12 species were captured in 8,640 trapnights. Overall, capture rates were not related to SMZ w idth. During summer, capture rates were greater in the mature riparian forest than in SMZs. Abundance of individual species varied among the habitats sampled. SMZs supported populations of Oryzomys palustris, O chrotomys nuttalli, and Neotoma floridana, three species not found in the pine plantation. Inclusion of SMZs in pine plantation management c an enhance habitat diversity and contribute to local diversity of the small mammal community.