Effect of forest road on stand structure and small mammals in temperate forests

Abstract

Researchers examined changes in habitat structure and abundance of three small mammal species, Korean field mice (Apodemus peninsulae), Korean red-backed voles (Myodes regulus) and striped field mice (A. agrarius) between 1st year (the 1st trapping session in 2005) and 4th year (the 2nd trappings session in 2008) after forest road construction within deciduous and coniferous stands in Jincheon, Chungbuk province, South Korea. Forest structure differed significantly between forest edge and interior areas in both stands. Number of standing wood, basal area, coverage of understory vegetation and volume of coarse woody debris were higher in deciduous than in coniferous stands. Researchers captured 5 species of small animals, 1196 times in 4 sites during the 2 trapping sessions. The abundances of the three small mammals varied according to the habitat, generally higher in deciduous stands than in coniferous stands and higher in interior areas than in edge areas. In the 2nd trapping session, the abundance of A. peninsulae andM. regulus had increased and that of A. agrarius had decreased in the forest edge compared with the 1st trapping session. Understory vegetation and woody seedlings were the habitat components most strongly related to small mammal abundance at the edge of forest road. Long-term experiments are needed to elucidate the potential effects of forest road on small mammal species. © Medwell Journals, 2012.