Short-term landscape-scale effects of forest management on Peromyscus spp. mice within Missouri Ozark forests

Abstract

We conducted a capture-recapture study within Ozark forests in south-central Missouri to evaluate the short-term (2–5 years after timber removal) effects of even- and unevenaged forest management on Peromyscus spp. mice inhabiting north- and east-facing slopes of forest compartments. This study was part of the Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project, a 100-year experiment investigating landscape-scale impacts of forest management on forest flora and fauna. Changes between pretreatment (1994–1995) and post-treatment (1998–2001) numbers indicated that forest management had a short-term effect on mice. Even-aged management, and to a lesser extent uneven-aged management, appeared to dampen a natural decline in mouse abundance observed on no-harvest sites. Numbers on even-aged sites were greater than those on uneven-aged sites, which were greater than numbers on no-harvest sites following treatment. Both even-and uneven-aged forest management may positively affect Peromyscus spp. numbers, but this trend may change as additional trees are removed.