Landscape context and small-mammal abundance in a managed forest

We assessed whether small-mammal abundance was related to landscape context , when context was considered independently of within-stand vegetation and at different spatial extents. The study took place in an industrial forest in northwestern New Brunswick. Within-stand vegetation models explained 9-3 2% of the deviance in the abundance of individuals from the four most abund ant species: red-backed voles, deer mice; short-tailed shrews: and woodland jumping mice. Landscape context was related to the distributions of two sp ecies: red-backed voles were less abundant within contexts of softwood plan tations; and jumping mouse abundance was directly related to the amount of softwood forest. Variables measured at the largest radii of landscape conte xt (500 m) were never significantly associated with the abundance of small mammals. Most species appeared robust to forest management with the excepti on of the negative relationship between red-backed voles and softwood plant ations. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.