Focus Species Forestry - Maine Audubon

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Eastern Hemlock ____________________________________________ Identification Eastern hemlock in pure or mixed stands is the dominant species. Depending on the region of the state and surrounding forest type, associates may include red oak, white pine, birches, maples, spruce, cedar, or fir. Ecology Eastern hemlock typically occurs in patches of 50 acres or less within oak-pine, northern hardwood, and spruce-fir ecosystems. The hemlock wooly adelgid, an exotic insect that has devastated hemlock forests from Appalachia to central Massachusetts, has now spread into southern Maine. Wildlife Hemlock provides important food, cover, and nesting habitat for many species. Black bears use hemlock for denning and cubs climb them for escape cover. Hemlock stands provide important deer wintering cover in much of the Northeast. Blackburnian and black-throated green warblers are strongly associated with hemlock in mixed hemlock-hardwood forests. Rare Species None Rare Natural Communities None Focus Species Mature Forest American marten (North region) Fisher (South region) White-tailed deer (North region) Pileated woodpecker Barred owl Wood thrush Redback salamander Late-successional Forest No species currently known due to limited research 24 Focus Species Forestry
Eastern Hemlock ____________________________________________ Overview Single-tree and Group Selection Shelterwood and Clearcut Other Focus Species Management Hemlock’s greatest wildlife value is as a mature forest component of the landscape. Its deep crown provides excellent cover while frequent and profuse cone crops provide abundant food for many birds and small mammals. Management should strive to maintain stands in a mature condition through periodic light regeneration harvests. Individual trees and groups within northern hardwoods and oak-pine provide important food and cover and should be maintained and encouraged. Hemlock regenerates best on partly shaded, scarified soil. Both approaches are well suited to maintaining mature forest conditions and are consistent with natural disturbance patterns. Small-group selection (0.1 acre or less) can be to used to regenerate hemlock while creating within-stand patchiness. Researchers recommend a 2- or 3-stage shelterwood with 70-80% canopy cover with scattered gaps. If the shelterwood system is used, be sure to retain the overstory in a two-aged system or maintain mature hemlock cover nearby. Clearcutting is not recommended in hemlock forests. Follow recommendations for snags, cavity trees, and downed woody material and other stand-level guidelines (Section 7). Maintain hemlock inclusions in other forest types. In northern Maine it is not uncommon to find old-growth legacy trees in excess of 200 years old. Refer to landscape-level guidelines (Section 8). Use hemlock stands to help build and maintain mature and late-successional components of the landscape. References: Carey 1993, DeGraaf et al. 1992, DeGraaf and Yamasaki 2001, Eyre 1980, Flatebo et al. 1999, Goerlich and Nyland 2000, Kenefic and Seymour 1999, U.S. Forest Service and Vermont Agency of Environmental Conservation 1973 Focus Species Forestry 25
Page 1 and 2: Focus Species Forestry A Guide to I
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
Page 5 and 6: Acknowledgements The Focus Species
Page 7 and 8: 1. Introduction It’s a crisp wint
Page 9 and 10: 2. Characteristics of Focus Species
Page 11 and 12: Focus Species and Human Values Whil
Page 13 and 14: 3. Step by Step Guide to Focus Spec
Page 15 and 16: For riparian and wetland areas and
Page 17 and 18: Habitat Monitoring Habitat is the m
Page 19 and 20: Table 1. Forest Ecosystem Types and
Page 21 and 22: Table 2. Stand Development Stages S
Page 23 and 24: 5. Habitat Management Guides The fo
Page 25 and 26: Aspen-Birch _______________________
Page 27 and 28: Northern Hardwoods ________________
Page 29: Oak-Pine __________________________
Page 33 and 34: Spruce-Fir ________________________
Page 35 and 36: Northern White Cedar ______________
Page 37 and 38: Riparian and Wetland Forest _______
Page 39 and 40: Vernal Pools ______________________
Page 41 and 42: 6. Focus Species Profiles and Manag
Page 43 and 44: Snowshoe Hare Distribution: Alaska
Page 45 and 46: American Marten Distribution: Alask
Page 47 and 48: White-tailed Deer Distribution: Sou
Page 49 and 50: Ruffed Grouse Distribution: Year-ro
Page 51 and 52: Black-backed Woodpecker Distributio
Page 53 and 54: Wood Thrush Distribution: Breeding-
Page 55 and 56: Magnolia Warbler Distribution: Brit
Page 57 and 58: Pine Warbler Distribution: Southern
Page 59 and 60: Eastern Towhee Distribution: Breedi
Page 61 and 62: Northern Dusky Salamander Distribut
Page 64 and 65: Wood Turtle Distribution: Nova Scot
Page 66 and 67: Late-Successional Forest Species Co
Page 68 and 69: Table 3. Focus Species Summary Tabl
Page 70 and 71: Maine Forest Service Goals for Snag
Page 72 and 73: prefer areas of low habitat intersp
Page 74 and 75: Large Ownerships: On a typical town
Page 76 and 77: 9. Literature Cited Allen, T.G., an
Page 78 and 79: Maine Natural Areas Program (MNAP).
Page 80 and 81:
Appendix 1. Recommended Resources .
Page 82 and 83:
Appendix 2. List of Focus Species H
Page 84 and 85:
older forest in islands and peninsu
Page 86 and 87:
Appendix 5. Focus Species Data Form
Page 88 and 89:
Focus Species Habitat Worksheet Pro
Page 90 and 91:
Appendix 6. Example Stand Maps and
Page 92 and 93:
Focus Species Habitat Worksheet Pro
Page 94 and 95:
Appendix 7. Focus Species Associate
Page 96 and 97:
Appendix 9. Primary Focus Species f
Page 98:
Appendix 10. Examples of Stand Clas
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Focus Species Forestry - Maine Audubon

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