Brush Piles Research Articles

The Fox Hunt

FEATURED AUTHOR—FICTION The Fox Hunt Lisa Alther THE JEEP SHUDDERED ALONG THE DIRT ROAD, its hood bobbing like a duck decoy on rough waters. Sunlight danced through the rust and mustard foliage. Palmer felt like a kid laying out of school. Even if he did own the company. But he was, after all, out here on business. Julius was an expensive dog. His ancestors had been lead hounds for the best hunts in Virginia, right back to the beginning of the nineteenth century. But Lucas had implied on the phone this morning that Julius might not make it. He and Lucas rode away from the clearing, Julius hanging across Lucas's saddle, his neck ripped open and oozing black blood. "We'll take him to the vet in Beulah," said Palmer, who had raised Julius from a puppy and helped Lucas train him. Lucas shrugged. "Ain't no use." Palmer sighed. Lucas always turned as fatalistic as a Europeanpeasant in the face of a crisis. "Don't be ridiculous. He'll be fine." Reaching the top of the rise, Palmer surveyed Red Hatcher's bottom land, spread out below like an old burlap feed sack. That soil there along the riverbank used to be pretty rich, but you couldn't say much for it now. Looked like he'd sown winter oats, just sprouting. Red drove his land as hard as the antique tractor he worked it with. The Jeep jolted down the hill, the power lift on the back clanking. Palmer spotted some fresh stumps and brush piles in a woods Red was leveling for more pasture. That man razed rather than cleared. He didn't plow, he gouged. Four boys in bib overalls marched up Rollers's valley, tobacco-stake rifles on their shoulders. Palmer was leading, his Confederate great-grandfather's sword hangingfrom his waist, scabbard tip etching the earth. "Halt-two-three-four!" barked Palmer. "All you men down in that trench on your bellies!" The boys peered into the drainage ditch by the rosa multiflora hedgerow as the enemy closed in. 13 "On the double!" They jumped in, sinking to their knees in mud. Palmer crawled beneath the hedge to inspect the advancing Yankees. Red's carrot-colored crewcut appeared above the Up of the ditch. "Ain't you comin down here too, Palmer?" "Head down, soldier! Do you want it blown off?" Red leapt out ofthe ditch. Twisting Palmer's arm into a hammerlock, he forced him to the edge. "Palmer — sir, I ain't playing at your goddam game no more." He hurled Palmerface-first into the slime and stalked offdown the valley, swinging at grasshoppers with his tobacco stake. Gazing at Palmer with vacant blue eyes, Lucas Bledsoe helped him out of the mud. But he didn't reply when Palmer asked, "Why'd he do thatfor?" Red's fencing needed help fast. A couple of posts had rotted, dragging the barbed wire to the ground. Last week Red had come up to him by the tobacco barn, struggling to sound amiable, despite the stubborn jut to his red-bristled jaw. "Y'all right today, Palmer?" "Fine, thanks, Red. And you?" "Tell you the truth, I got me some problems." He slipped a kitchen matchstick between his lips and began to chew it. "What's up?" asked Palmer, even though he already knew, since he went to Rotary meetings with every banker in town. "Reckon you could make me a loan? Through the winter? Whatever interest you think's fair." Red gazed at the ancient oaks on the far hillside. He was humiliated. But it was his own damn fault. "I'm sorry, Red." He had been too, even though he could see how much better off Red would be in the end. "But I'm no banker. Have you tried Beulah Savings and Loan?" "Hell, they's a mortgage on ever last one of my damn cows." His bony face began to twitch. Palmer shifted his own gaze to the oaks on the hill. "My offer still holds: I cover the bills. We split the profits. Cash for your land. Fair market value. Same as my father did with Lucas...

Use of Artificial Structure to Enhance Angler Benefits in Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs: A Literature Review

Artificial structure has been used in the United States since the 1930s to modify benthic habitats in freshwater systems in attempts to enhance both sport and commercial fisheries. Since then, the use of artificial structure has become widespread throughout the country in a variety of waters and fish communities. Proposed advantages of installing artificial structure include increasing angler catch per effort, providing cover to increase survival of juvenile fish, and providing spawning habitat to increase natural production. Structure materials vary from brush piles and evergreen trees, to tires, hay bales, and manufactured plastic forms. The most effective types of artificial structure resemble natural structure with varied complexity and interstitial spaces. The success of structure projects is dependent upon the type of fish community present, the slope and depth at which the structure is placed, the amount and size of structure installed, and the type of structure that will best meet the goals of the project. The most successful structure projects are those which are implemented with clearly defined management goals. Those goals can only be formulated after an assessment of the fish community and the existing structure, and it has been determined that the addition of more structure will have a positive impact.

A MULTI-RESOLUTION ASSESSMENT OF RACCOON DEN SELECTION

Abstract Many studies have been conducted on the ecology of raccoons (Procyon lotor), while few have examined raccoon den-site selection, particularly in agricultural and prairie landscapes. Furthermore, no studies have examined selection of den sites at multiple spatial scales. We examined den-site selection for 48 raccoons during 1997–1999 in an agricultural landscape in the Black Prairie physiographic region of east-central Mississippi, USA. Den types selected by raccoons differed by gender and season. Females used more cavity dens during young rearing, whereas males selected ground dens and brush piles. We found that den sites were located closer to crop fields, roads, and macrohabitat edges than random points. At the landscape level, den sites were associated positively with woody patch size, amounts of woody and grass edge, number of available patches of crop fields, and available area of lakes and ponds. Composition of habitats around den sites differed from composition of habitats within home rang...

NIGHT ROOST SELECTION DURING WINTER BY RUFFED GROUSE IN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS

In northern regions, ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) conserve considerable energy during winter by burrowing under snow cover to roost. When conditions are unsuitable for snow burrowing grouse almost invariably roost in conifers. We studied selection of winter night roosts by ruffed grouse in western Virginia, a region where snow accumulations are rare and transient. Grouse almost always used ground roosts when snow was present even though snow was never deep enough for snow burrowing. When snow was absent grouse did not show any clear preference in roost microsite type, and were found roosting in and under deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs, in brush piles, and in leaf litter. We hypothesize that this ambivalence to conifers was due in part to persistent accumulations of fallen oak leaves, which likely afford grouse good thermal cover and concealment. Grouse were frequently found at low elevations during daytime, but rarely roosted in bottoms. This suggests daily elevational movements, possibly to avoid cold air settling in low-lying areas during night.

Brush piles and mesh cages protect blue oak seedlings from animals

Oak tree branches piled over acorn-seeded blue oaks were tested as protection against cattle and deer. The piles remained in place and apparently free of cattle and deer for 8.5 years, until a wildfire destroyed the branches. Before the fire in 1996, seedlings in the brush had similar survival rates but grew significantly faster than seedlings with no brush. Seedling survival and growth rates declined sharply after the fire, although the surviving trees regained their prefire heights in 3 years. Cages made of aluminum window screening, as protection from small animals, significantly increased seedling survival and growth rates. Growth rates over the 12 years of the trial averaged only about 0.5 to 1 inch per year.

Emigration, Upstream Movement, and Habitat Use by Sterile and Fertile Sea Lampreys in Three Lake Superior Tributaries

Abstract To investigate upstream spawning migration behavior of fertile and sterilized sea lampreys Petromyzon marinus, we attached radio transmitters to 149 sea lampreys, released them in three tributaries of Lake Superior between 1993 and 1996, and followed their movements for up to 60 d. Emigration from spawning streams was variable between years and streams (10–50% of releases within a stream), appeared to be affected by the length of unimpeded stream, and was not affected by the sterilization procedure. Most sea lampreys that stayed in the streams moved upstream (64%), the majority moving between 2200 and 0300 hours. Total distance traveled, daily movement rates, and habitat selected by sea lampreys did not differ between fertile males and sterile males. In all streams, sea lampreys selected habitat with significantly reduced light levels and made use of habitat providing refugia—brush piles, overhanging banks, and boulders. Differences in emigration rates among streams implies that stocking rates of...

Effect of Firewood Harvesting on Birds in a California Oak-Pine Woodland

Despite a history of oak clearing and thinning in California, little is known about the effects of firewood harvesting on wildlife in oak woodlands. We studied the effect of firewood harvesting on population trends of birds during the breeding season in an oak-pine woodland in the foothills of the northern Sierra Nevada, California. During fall-winter of 1993-94, total tree basal area on 30 3.1-ha study plots was reduced by approximately 23% via removal of commercial-grade oaks, but all old-growth trees and trees with obvious nest cavities or woodpecker granaries were preserved. An additional 30 plots represented controls. We used point counts to derive a population index of birds 1 breeding season before and 2 breeding seasons after harvesting. We detected population shifts in 14 species (7 year-round residents, 4 breeding migrants, 1 migrant, 2 winter residents), of which 10 showed consistent population increases, 2 showed consistent population decreases, and 2 showed varying population changes in the 2 seasons after harvesting. Six of the species that increased on harvested plots appeared to respond to the presence of brush piles. Responses of other species were less clearly linked to a particular aspect of vegetation change. Although we found a negative effect of harvesting on only 2 species, the Pacific-slope flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis) and Hutton's vireo (Vireo huttoni), statistical power to detect anything less than total extirpation of many uncommon species was <0.8. Our results indicate that small-scale firewood harvests that reduce basal area by <25% and preserve nest cavities and granary trees have minimal negative short-term effects on most of the more common bird species present during the breeding season, but we caution that effects on uncommon species may have gone undetected. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the potential importance of site fidelity, brush-pile decay, and vegetation recovery in affecting species' responses over the long term.

Effect of supplemental cover on survival of snowshoe hares and cottontail rabbits in patchy habitat

We examined mortality patterns of sympatric snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) and cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) on sites with and without brush piles to evaluate the protective role of cover in the fragmented habitat typical at the range limits of both species. Treatment sites received ≥2 oak brush piles per hectare in August and September 1994. Leporids used a minimum of 56% of created brush piles, but we failed to detect a difference in survivorship between animals occupying treatment and control sites, suggesting that brush piles may not have served as effective refugia to leporids of either species. Coyotes (Canis latrans) killed leporids in understory cover similar in mean density to that of study sites, whereas raptor kills occurred in areas with sparser understory than the average for the study sites or at coyote kills. We concluded that other methods of habitat alteration may be more effective means of increasing numbers of snowshoe hares and cottontail rabbits.

Building and Burning Brush Piles

Building and Burning Brush Piles

Diet of Ringtails (Bassariscus astutus) in Oregon

The ringtail (Bassariscus astutus) attains the northern limit of its range in southwestern Oregon (Hall 1981:964, map 500). In Oregont as in most regionsJ B. astutus is not abundant; estimates of density elsewhere usually are < 5 per km2 (Poglayen-Neuwall and Toweill 1988). It is classified as a sensitive species-undetermined status't by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on infrequent sightings or reports and is afforded protection against taking in Oregon by state administrative rule (Marshall 1992:RING 1). Other than information contained in general works on mammals (e.g./ Bailey 1936), we know of no published report concerning any aspect of the biology of B. astutus in Oregon. Knowledge of the species elsewhere is fragmentary, especially in comparison with that of most other North American carnivoresX In 1992, a project was initiated by one of us (TPF) to investigate several aspects of the ecology of B. nstutus in the Myrtle Creek drainage, a tributary of the South Umpqua River, northeast of Myrtle Creek, Douglas Co., Oregon (T 28 S, R 3-4 W). Habitats occupied by B. astutus were in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forest at elevations of 450-550 m. Most of the area was occupied by regenerating 5-30-yr-old clear-cuttings with older Douglas-fir forest and riparian hardwoods interspersed. Bassariscus astutus usually denned in 15-30-m Douglas-fir snags, but dens occasionally were located in brush piles, downed logs, and stumps. Fifty-six fecal droppings were collected at entrances to dens or at the base of trees containing dens occupied by five B. astutus to which beacon radio transmitters were attached. Dens and individuals were located and identified by radio signals at unique frequencies; nevertheless, all fecal droppings may not have been deposited by the radio-tagged individual occupying a specific den. Herein, we report on the diet of B. astutus in Oregon based on our examination and identification of food remains in those fecal droppings. Fecal droppings were placed in plastic bags, labeled, and frozen. Examination of the droppings followed procedures outlined by Korschgen (1980). Briefly, individual fecal droppings were softened by soaking in water then teased apart and the material distributed fairly evenly over 21 x 32-cm white-enameled trays. Materials that could not be identified in the trays or when picked out and examined under a 7-30 x binocular microscope were dried on paper towels and placed in labeled envelopes for subsequent comparison with museum specimens or identification by specialists of specific taxonomic groups. Results are reported by frequency of occurrence and percent frequency of occurrence by month (Table 1); samples were available for 9 of the 12 months. The diet of B. astutus in Oregon (Table 1) is similar to that reported for the species elsewhere in that it is omnivorous (Grinnell et al. 1937; Taylor 1954; Trapp 1978; Toweill and Teer 1977). Similar proportions of fecal samples contained materials of plant and animal origin (Table 1). Plant material occurred in 93% of the samplesr similar to the 90.6% reported by Toweill and Teer (1977) for the Edwards Plateau in Texas. Trappe (1978) reported 46% of samples from Utah contained fruits, 17% miscellaneous vegetable matter, and 4% graminoids, considerably less frequent than we found among Oregon samples (even if the Utah frequencies were additive). Direct comparison of our findings with those of Taylor (1954), Wood (1954), and Davis (1960) conducted in Texas was not possible because they did not present data by frequency of occurrence. In our study, leaves, scales, and bracts of several conifers; wood; moss; and lichens were consumed throughout the year, whereas berries and seeds were consumed only during summer (August-September; Table 1). Conifer leaves were incorporated into the feces, not merely stuck to themr indicating that the leaves actually were ingested, but on passing through the digestive tract of B. astutus, the leaves exhibited little change. Most other items in the feces were well masticated and/ except for hard items (bone, teeth, chitin, seeds, hair, and cellulose), heavily digested. Ninety-one percent of the samples also contained animal material. Mammal remains were tound in 66% of the samples, considerably more frequent than the 13.7% reported by Toweill and Teer (1977) in Texas, and slightly more than the 55% reported in Utah (Trapp, 1978). Murid rodents were the largest component of the mammalian food items (Table 1), likely reflecting the nocturnal foraging habits of B. astutus (Poglayen-Neuwall and Toweill 1988). Among mammals represented, the red tree vole (Phenacomys longicaudus) occurred most frequently. The house cat (Felis catus), represented

Patterns of fructose feeding by Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae).

Culex tarsalis collected in Kern County, California, USA, were tested for the presence of fructose from July 1984 through February 1985 using the cold anthrone reaction. Overall, 75% of 350 females and 68% of 251 males collected during summer (July–September) were fructose positive. Host-seeking females ingested fructose during the 2nd half of the night. Fructose was ingested repeatedly throughout life, since empty, blood-fed, gravid, and parous females exhibited comparable percentages of fructose positivity. Males ingested fructose at night after swarming at dusk. Females ingested fructose when entering diapause (62% of 69 females in October–November), diapausing (42% of 175 females in December–January), and terminating diapause (78% of 75 females in February). Overwintering female populations consisted of mobile and sedentary components. The mobile component, which rested in more exposed microhabitats such as privies, bridges, and red boxes, frequently ingested fructose and included some females that were not diapausing. The sedentary component, which generally rested in more protected hibernacula such as rodent burrows, brush piles, and Neotoma nests, infrequently ingested fructose and consisted mostly of diapausing females. During diapause termination, the sedentary component initiated ovarian development, egressed from hibernacula, ingested fructose, and rested in more exposed microhabitats, thereby increasing female abundance at exposed resting sites.

Seasonal Use of Brush Piles by the Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus)

Seasonal Use of Brush Piles by the Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus)

Comparison of Macroinvertebrate Herpobenthos and Haptobenthos in Side Channel and Slough in the Upper Mississippi River

Zoobenthic communities in two upper Mississippi River backwaters, a flowing side channel and a non-flowing slough, were examined during summer of 1978 to elucidate differences between herpobenthos and haptobenthos. Herpobenthos (sampled with Peterson grab) inhabit the bottom sediments; and haptobenthos (sampled with artificial substrates) are associated with, but do not penetrate, substrates such as snags, rootage, brush piles, or large rocks. Herpobenthos were more abundant in the slough than in the side channel, primarily because of comparatively high standing crops of Hexagenia and Chironomidae in the bottom sediments of the slough. Haptobenthos were more abundant in the side channel than in the slough, primarily because of comparatively high numbers of Trichoptera and Ephemeroptera which utilized submersed cover for attachment in the flowing side channel. Both zoobenthic communities were comprised of taxa known to be important as food for river fishes. If either zoobenthic community had been studied a...

Reproduction, Age, and Growth of the Finescale Dace, Chrosomus neogaeus, in Minnesota

Abstract The life history of the finescale dace, Chrosomus neogaeus, was studied in Itasca Park, Minnesota, during 1969-1971. The breeding season extended from late April through May. The more numerous males pursued females at the spawning sites; egg deposition occurred during an embrace under submerged logs and brush piles. Fecundity can be described by the equation Y = 62.59X − 1,764, where Y is the number of eggs, and × is the standard length (SL). Both sexes reached sexual maturity at age I. After sexual maturity, females grew faster (Y = 9.01X + 30.0) than males (Y = 6.20X + 36.0), where Y is standard length in millimeters, and × is the age in years. The largest female captured was 85 mm SL (age-class VI); the largest male was 67 mm SL (age-class V).

Winter Home Ranges of the Red-Backed Mouse and White-Footed Mouse

A study of the home ranges of the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus , and the red-backed mouse, Clethrionomys gapperi , was carried out in northern Anoka County, Minnesota, during the winter and while the ground was covered with snow. Trap-revealed home ranges averaged 0.27 and 0.25 acres, respectively, when calculated by the minimum-home-range method and 200 and 217 feet, respectively, when calculated by the greatest-diameter method. The animals restricted their movements for the most part to protected areas such as brush piles and under logs rather than traveling over the whole area as they appeared to do in the summer and fall. Temperatures as low as −19°F did not prevent the animals from moving about.

Territorial Behavior in Pikas

Pikas, Ochotona princeps , observed on successive week ends from September 4 to October 8, 1955 on a rock slide in the Sapphire Range in western Montana, exhibited well-marked territorial behavior. Brown, gray, and mixed color patterns induced by molting facilitated recognition of individual animals. The six pikas observed remained solitary within adjacent territories. They were often harvestng in early mornings, running to the upper or lower ends of the rock slide to cut stalks of grass or twigs from bushes. The pikas would then race back to their hay piles with the cut vegetation projecting from one side of their mouths. These mounds were really brush piles, with …

Observations on the White-Footed Mouse in Eastern Kansas

In the period from March 24, 1951, to June 24, 1954, eastern woodrats (Neotoma floridana) were live-trapped in northeastern Douglas County, Kansas, as a part of a study of the ecology of that species. Several kinds of vertebrates are associated with this woodrat. The most common, and one of the most intimate, of these associates is the whitefooted mouse (Peromyscus leucopus). My observations are based on mice live-trapped in or near the stick houses of woodrats. Only mice of adult size or nearly adult size were obtained since those that were smaller were able to escape from the traps. Douglas County is in east-central Kansas, in the ecotone between the eastern deciduous forest and the western grassland. A part of the study area is on the University of Kansas Natural History Reservation and the remainder on private land. The habitat in which the animals were studied included rocky situations and woodland. A stratum of limestone underlying the shallow glacial till of the hilltops is exposed and the edge of the stratum is a prominent physiographic feature of the Reservation and adjoining areas (Fitch, Univ. Kansas Mus. Nat. Hist., Miscl. Publ., No. 4:8, 1952). The deep fissures, overhanging ledges, boulders, and smaller stones provide temporary or permanent shelter for many kinds of animals. Approximately 20 feet below the level of the hilltops there is another limestone outcrop, but less of its edge is exposed. Live-trapping was done along a 750-foot-long exposure of the upper outcrop, which varied in height from three to six feet. The part of the outcrop where trapping was done lay on three farms, long under different ownership and subjected to land uses that had resulted in differences in vegetation: a 400-foot stretch on the Reservation, a 100foot stretch in adjoining woodland, and a 250-foot stretch in open pastureland. A few traps were placed along the lower outcrop where exposures were large enough to provide adequate shelter for woodrats. Trapping was also done away from the outcrop where there were woodrat houses in brush piles located in woods of osage orange (Maclura pomifera), honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), and red elm (Ulmus rubra) . On the Reservation the slope between the upper and lower outcrops

The Mortality and Growth of Marked and Unmarked Lake Trout Fingerlings in the Presence of Predators

Abstract Two experiments were conducted between October 4, 1948, and October 25, 1949, at the State Fish Hatchery at Marquette, Michigan, to determine the effect of predation on fin-clipped lake trout, Cristivomer n. namaycush [Walbaum], fingerlings. One experiment involved 4,000 unmarked fish and 4,000 clipped fish confined in the presence of adult brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, and lake trout. In a smaller experiment, another pond was divided by a fish-tight screen and bulkhead. In the lower half, weighted brush piles were added to provide cover. The upper half was left without cover. Into each half of this pond 500 unmarked fish and 500 marked fish were released, along with various predator fish. The small experimental pond was covered with chicken-wire screen to prevent bird predation. Observation of deaths caused by factors other than predation, plus the counts of survivors at several examinations revealed the numbers of fish lost to the predator fish between various dates. Chi-square analy...

Land Clearing by Power Methods in the Control of White Pine Blister Rust

To eradicate wild currants and gooseberries for the control of white pine blister rust, it has been necessary on some alluvial bottom lands, where these bushes grow in dense concentration tangled with willows and other species, to clear the area completely of all brush by the use of the so-called bulldozer. The bulldozer is a tractor of the caterpillar type and is similar to the machine used in road construction, with the exception that the solid blade used for moving dirt is replaced with a heavily constructed frame holding a series of digging teeth (Plate 12-A). The frame or brush rake was specially designed by the Division of Plant Disease Control of the Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, U. S. Department of Agriculture, for clearing brush and Ribes from stream bottoms. In use the teeth in this special blade are set to penetrate 3-4 inches into the ground, or deep enough to catch the roots. The brush rake can be raised or lowered as the machine moves over the ground. As the bulldozer moves ahead, the brush is collected in front of the rake and is pushed into a pile or windrow. The brush piles are burned in the fall or in the following spring. After the brush is burned, the area is planted to grass. Many of the areas cleared by the bulldozer have been converted into

Observations on the Habits and the Injury Caused by the Bites or Stings of Some Common North American Arthropods

The habits of some of the most common of our stinging or biting arthropods have been but little known and the question of the seriousness of their stings has been one of much controversy and speculation. In order to get more definite knowledge concerning these two subjects observations have been made and experiments performed which cover a period of about four years. Most of the results obtained up to the present are presented in this paper.The Common Striped ScorpionThe common striped scorpion, Centruroides vittatus (Say), is by far the most numerous and widespread of any of the scorpions in the Southern States. It occurs as far north as southern Virginia and central Missouri and as far west as western Texas.Habitat. In natural conditions this scorpion is found most abundant under the loose bark of large fallen logs but is also found under smaller logs lying on the ground, under brush piles, accumulations of dead leaves and occasionally under the loose bark of standing trees.