More to the forest than trees, in regard to grouse

For instance, ruffed grouse are a forest dwelling species of particular interest to me. When I think of forest characteristics beyond the presence of trees several structural and compositional characteristics stand out. For example, the presence of large woody debris (e.g. large dead logs) and good vertical structure (e.g. the number and complexity of stems in the understory) may promote the use of a young aspen stand by ruffed grouse during certain times of the year.

Male ruffed grouse use drumming structures in spring to display on (drum). They choose elevated structures, most commonly logs, with surrounding vertical structures such as young woody stems from trees and brush to protect them from a predator’s ambush (e.g. a hawk flying in on them while they drum). The absence of display sites such as large woody debris (logs) in a young aspen stand may limit the use of this area by ruffed grouse during late winter through early summer.

In addition to the structure of any one particular stand is the species composition of that stand and the surrounding stands. Many wildlife species, including ruffed grouse, benefit from stands with mixed species composition as well as landscapes containing a number of stands dominated by a variety of species. If you think about a true monoculture (the growing of a single species within an area for an extended period of time) such as a corn field this concept might make more sense. For instance, a corn field may provide seasonal cover and a lot of food just before harvest for white tailed deer. However, the benefits of corn fields for deer is short lived and limited. If the entire landscape was covered in corn and only corn there would be a good portion of the year in which deer are without other necessities such as thermal cover in the winter, escape cover from predators, etc. making an area uninhabitable by the species over the long term.

For grouse, a forested area managed for multiple species types at both the stand and landscape scale is better than an area managed for one species type. This is especially so if a large forested area is composed of trees of the same age managed for the same tree species. For example, the preferred winter food for ruffed grouse is the buds of a mature male aspen (aspen trees come in male and female sexes like humans). In addition, when snow cover is not suitable for snow roosting (roosting under the snow to stay warm) ruffed grouse depend on other insulative forms of cover such as young conifers. A large stand of aspen may provide a good food source but without conifers nearby the event of unfavorable snow conditions may prove to be less inhabitable due to the decreased ability of a grouse to stay warm on those cold winter nights.