Marten habitat selection in a clearcut boreal landscape

To describe the forest mosaic suitable for marten (Martes americana) in a c learcut boreal landscape, we studied habitat selection in an area (123 km(2 )) located in western Quebec, in which black spruce (Picea mariana) was the predominant forest type. This block had been recently clearcut with the pr otection of regeneration cutting technique, a logging method that employs e qually spaced harvesting trails. The resulting landscape had a center domin ated by a cutover matrix (60% of the block) and surrounded by contiguous un cut forest. Over 2 years, 20 marten equipped with radio collars provided en ough locations to delineate their winter home range. Habitat composition an d spatial configuration were measured at both stand and landscape scales by means of a geographic information system database that included telemetry locations and home ranges, forest maps, and limits of clearcut areas. Insid e their winter home ranges, animals avoided open regenerating stands compos ed mostly of recent clearcuts with sparse regeneration. They did not select coniferous stands, even those that were mature or overmature, but preferre d deciduous and mixed stands, a large proportion of which had a dense conif erous shrub layer as a result of a spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana ) epidemic 15-20 years ago. At the landscape scale, winter home ranges diff ered from random mosaics because they had a larger proportion of uncut fore st (>30 years), a smaller proportion of open regenerating stands, larger co re area in forest habitat, and less edge between open regenerating stands a nd forest. Winter home ranges usually contained <30-35% open or closed rege nerating stands and >40-50% uncut forest. We conclude that marten and clear cutting may be compatible, provided that forest logging is adapted to that species at the landscape level. Where the objective is to maintain marten a t a local scale in black spruce forest, we suggest that greater than or equ al to 50% uncut forest be preserved inside 10-km(2) units and that <30% of the area be clearcut over a 30-year period.