Sr. Butts et Wc. Mccomb, Associations of forest-floor vertebrates with coarse woody debris in managed forests of western Oregon, J WILDL MAN, 64(1), 2000, pp. 95-104
Forests managed primarily for wood resources may be lacking in adequate amo
unts of coarse woody debris (CWD) for forest-floor vertebrates. We assessed
associations between captures of forest-floor vertebrates and volume of CW
D in 18 closed-canopy stands of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). The vo
lume of CWD ranged from 14 to 859 m(3)/ha. Pitfall traps and timed, area-co
nstrained ground searches were used to capture small mammals and amphibians
. The abundance of ensatina (Ensatina eschscholtzii) and clouded salamander
s (Aneides ferreus) increased with volume of CWD. In addition, the probabil
ity of encountering either ensatina or Trowbridge's shrew (Sorex trowbridgi
i) increased with cover of CWD on the forest-floor. The average distance fr
om the nearest CWD for amphibians captured during timed, area-constrained g
round searches was 0.5 m, versus 1 m between random points and the nearest
CWD. Our study suggests that current management guidelines for CWD retentio
n may not provide adequate habitat for forest-floor vertebrates that depend
on this component of the habitat.