Use of index lines and damage assessments to estimate population densities of snowshoe hares

Abstract

This study reports on the use of index lines to estimate the abundance of snowshoe hares in lodgepole pine stands in central British Columbia, Canada. Density estimates and related demographic information from the index lines were compared with a standard set of lines superimposed on a 9-ha grid. During the summer of a peak year in abundance, index line trapping provided reasonably accurate estimates of hare densities on a grid system. There was little variation in the demographic variables of reproduction, body weight, and sex ratio between line- and grid-sampled populations. Hare abundance and barking damage (feeding injuries to trees) were greater in heavily stocked stands of lodgepole pine than in lightly stocked stands. Index lines provide a rapid and economical survey method for censusing snowshoe hares in lodgepole pine stands.