Long-term habitat loss is contributing to the decline of ruffed grouse Bonasa umbellus and other wildlife species dependent upon early-successional habitats in the eastern United States. Analysis of forest inventory data demonstrates that deciduous forests of the east are maturing. From Maine to Tennessee, the area covered by forest stands classified as hardwood seedling/sapling has, over the past two decades, declined by 41%. Today, only 5% of the hardwood forests of New England are ?20 years of age. Few definitive data exist to quantify long-term trends in ruffed grouse populations throughout the east. Varying survey methodologies between states and within states between years exacerbate efforts to document trends. Coarse analysis of existing data suggests that ruffed grouse are declining in this region. The aspen Populus spp. forests of the Great Lakes region are of critical importance to ruffed grouse. Aspen forest communities are capable of producing 4-10 times the ruffed grouse per unit area as other vegetation associations. Currently, aspen forest types comprise 23% of the total timberland in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin and are largely non-existent in the eastern United States outside of this region. Clear-cut regeneration harvests, the optimum harvest prescription for regeneration of aspen forests and for establishment of quality habitat for ruffed grouse, are poorly accepted by the general public. This lack of acceptance has led to efforts to enact legislation at the state and federal levels to prevent use of clear-cut regeneration harvests and other even-age silvicultural prescriptions. Public resource management agencies are increasingly harvesting aspen using techniques other than clear-cut prescriptions to mitigate visual impacts of management activities. Given current social and political climates and demographic trends, a continuation of the decline of early-successional communities throughout the eastern United States is likely.
Key words: Bonasa umbellus, eastern United States, forest succession, ruffed grouse
Daniel R. Dessecker, Ruffed Grouse Society, P.O. Box 2, Rice Lake, Wisconsin 54868, USA