Marten selection of postfire seres in the Alaskan taiga

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Abstract
During 1991 – 1994 we tested whether martens (Martes americana) selectively used postfire seres in the Alaskan taiga and whether selection could be explained by differences in marten hunting behaviour, habitat, prey abundance, or demography. Forest seral stages included early-successional tall shrub – sapling (1985 burn), midsuccessional dense tree (1966 burn), and mature coniferous (100–115 years old). Most studies of marten – habitat relationships from lower latitudes suggest that martens require coniferous forest and avoid open areas. We found that martens did not select forest cover types or burn features at the stand scale (within the home range). However, marten abundance was greatest in the 1985 burn, which had the lowest canopy cover but the highest coarse woody debris density, autumn arvicoline biomass, and winter hunting intensity (index to foraging suitability). Martens in the 1985 burn were predominantly juvenile, with few adult (≥2 years old) females present. We hypothesize that our study area of predominantly early – midsuccessional forest was a "sink" for immature and transient martens dispersing from surrounding mature forest. If our hypothesis is correct and applies elsewhere in the taiga, then fur trapping for martens in recent burns could be a productive yet conservative harvest strategy. Future research should focus on habitat requirements of parturient females.