Effects of the removal of overstory hemlock on redback salamanders and other forest-floor fauna

Abstract

Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr.) is the second most abundant conifer species in the northeastern United States. It occurs both in almost pure stands and in stands where it is mixed with hardwoods and white pine (Pinus strobus L.). Recently, hemlock in the middle-Atlantic and southern New England states has become infested with the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand). This insect pest can result in high levels of mortality, opening up the forest canopy and illuminating the forest floor to full sunlight. The effects of the mortality of overstory hemlock on forest wildlife in hemlock-dominated stands is essentially unknown.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings: symposium on sustainable management of hemlock ecosystems in eastern North America

Citation

Brooks, Robert T. 2000. Effects of the removal of overstory hemlock on redback salamanders and other forest-floor fauna. In: McManus, Katherine A.; Shields, Kathleen S.; Souto, Dennis R., eds. Proceedings: Symposium on sustainable management of hemlock ecosystems in eastern North America. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-267. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station: 154.