Responses of Canada lynx, snowshoe hares, spruce grouse, and forest songbirds to forest management in commercially managed landscapes in the northeastern U.S.

Maine has the largest population of U.S. federally threatened Canada lynx in the lower 48 states, which specialize on the snowshoe hare as a primary prey species. Maine’s forests support the largest spruce grouse population in the eastern U.S., and with >50% of the spruce-fir forest in the coterminous U.S., these forests provide >95% of the nesting habitat for some migratory birds in the U.S. The goals of this project are to increase the sustainability of forest harvesting and management on Maine’ commercially managed forestlands via enhanced knowledge of the relationships of alternative forest management actions on the quality of habitat for Canada lynx, snowshoe hares, spruce grouse, and forest songbirds and via tangible management recommendations for increasing habitat quality, habitat occupancy, and sustainability.