Observations of weasels in second-growth Douglas-fir forests in the Puget Trough, Washington.

Abstract

Mustela frenata and M. erminea are common mammalian predators in Pacific Northwest forests, yet very little is known about their ecology in this region. Forty-five Mustela spp. were captured in >200,000 trap nights. Mustela erminea were most often captured in thinned stands with dense understory but little coarse woody debris; M. frenata were most often captured in unthinned stands with little understory development but high levels of coarse woody debris. Management history may influence Mustela spp. abundance and diversity. Eight M. frenata dens were located; 2 were in arboreal stick nests. Evidence from 4 yr of small mammal research in second-growth Pseudotsuga menzeisii stands, including recovery of 58 radio transmitters placed on Glaucomys sabrinus, suggests that Mustela spp. are important predators of G. sabrinus in the Puget Trough.

Citation

Wilson, T.M.; Carey, A.B. 1996.. Observations of weasels in second-growth Douglas-fir forests in the Puget Trough, Washington. Northwestern Naturalist. 77: 35-39