Movements of Allegheny Woodrats in Relation to Timber Harvesting

Abstract

The Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister) occurs in the Appalachian Mountains, forming colonies in rock outcrops, cliffs, and caves. Populations on the northern and western peripheries of the range have experienced drastic declines in the past 20-30 years. Dependence upon rock outcrops makes Allegheny woodrats vulnerable to land-use practices that alter habitats surrounding colonies. To examine the impacts of timber harvesting on Allegheny woodrat behavior, we radiotracked 37 adults during summer 1998 and 1999 in clearcut, diameter-limit, and intact forest stands in the central Appalachians of West Virginia. Home range size and foraging movements generally,were greatest at diameter-limit sites and smallest in intact forests in 1998, following a poor mast crop. We detected no differences among harvest methods in 1999 when mast was abundant. We believe that when hard mast was scarce, woodrats increased foraging movements and home range size to locate mast or sufficient alternative foods. Additionally, woodrats used clearcut and adjacent forested areas in proportion to availability. Our results suggested that clearcutting has minimal impact on woodrat movements, home range, and habitat use if sufficient intact forest is retained adjacent to colonies. Harvesting methods that selectively remove important mast-producing species may represent the greatest disturbance to Allegheny woodrats from forest management.