Forest management and female black bear denning

Most habitats available to black bear (Ursus americanus) in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) consist of seasonally flooded commercial forests whe re lack of suitable dens may limit population growth. We studied interactio ns between forest management and flooding relative to female black bear den ning. Denning behavior differed between commercial and noncommercial forest s. Females used tree dens exclusively on noncommercial forests, whereas on commercial forests, most (83%) were ground dens. Variations in ground den e levation resulted in differing inundation probabilities, altering survival probabilities for neonates. On commercial forests, ground dens with similar inundation probabilities as tree dens allowed successful reproduction to o ccur. Management practices that enhance suitable cover in areas of minimal inundation probability may mitigate for lack of den trees in hood-prone lan dscapes.