Wednesday, February 24, 2010

In the Rocky Mountain West, what type habitat do lynx need to prosper?

While there has been many discussions about how logging impacts the ability of Lynx to thrive or perish, evidence in the West suggests that dense horizontal cover, a haystack of wind throwed logs adjacent to dense forest cover is the perfect habitat for lynx to thrive. This type vegetation matrix breeds an abundance of snowshoe hare, the lynx primary foodstuff. The more hare, the more lynx. In fact in good hare habitat, lynx can breed a couple of times a year successfully. That edge habitat, whether caused by storm induced high winds or a loggers clear cut makes for a comfortable home for lynx. Let it be known that the clearcut becomes favorable for lynx a good 20 years into regrowth as the dense thicket understory develops. So, our paper companies and commercial loggers need to take into account the size of clearcuts so as to leave necessary dense forest cover adjacent for lynx. A forest specialist our big pawed lynx cat is and our humanity is on display as we find ways to allow this snowshoe hare specialist to thrive and endure into the 21st century and beyond.

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