Structure of Fisher (Pekania pennanti) Habitat in a Managed Forest in an Interior Northern California Coast Range. Issue 3 (4th December 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Niblett, Matthew R.; Sweeney, Stuart H.; Church, Richard L.; Barber, Klaus H.
• Is Part Of: Forest science. Volume 61:Issue 3(2015)
• Page Start: 481
• Page End: 493
• Publication Date: 2014-12-04
• Subjects: habitat characterization -- spatial analysis -- industrial forest management -- habitat analysis; Forests and forestry -- Periodicals; Forest management -- Periodicals; Forest policy -- United States -- Periodicals; Forest management; Forest policy; Forests and forestry; United States; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 634.9
• DOI: 10.5849/forsci.13-086
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0015-749X

Abstract

Abstract : Forest management planning across the Sierra Nevada and Northern California includes several focal wildlife species, one of which is the fisher, recently reclassified as Pekania pennanti (Sato et al. 2012 ) from Martes pennanti . This article presents an analysis of fisher habitat associated with privately owned forestland in Northern California. We take advantage of a high-resolution inventory database to show selective use of female fishers within this landscape. This landscape can be thought of as a matrix containing scattered mature stands of conifers and hardwoods (age >100 years) within a landscape of younger mixed conifer stands and numerous openings (24% of the area). Although stand and forest averages for habitat elements appear to score poorly using a widely used metric, we demonstrate through a new form of spatial sampling using a Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) statistical test, which we call k -max, selective habitat use by female fishers at a relatively fine scale. This approach is novel in terms of generating population-level inferential results that are sensitive to smaller scale selection behavior, demonstrating that existing large structures, even though limited in areal extent, are critical elements in female fisher habitat.