H. Reed Sanderson

The mixed hardwoods, white oaklred oak/hickory, and chestnut oak forest types were most important for gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) on an 8100 ha study area in West Virginia. The three most abundant tree species, chestnut oak (Quercus prinus), white oak (Q. alba), and northern red oak (Q. rum-a), in these forest types provided 75 percent of the nest dens and 54 percent of the leaf nests. Among 14 tree species used for nest-den trees. American chestnut(Castanea dentata) snags and sugar maple (Acer saccharum) ,,"'Cre preferred. Hickories(Carya spp.), yellow-poplar (Liriodendron...

Our study was designed to determine if a large outdoor enclosure is suitable for evaluating the shelter requirements of gray squirrels. We designed and tested an escape-proof enclosure to determine how many squirrels could be maintained without overpopulation, and to determine if reproduction would occur. A 2-acre area in a stand of mixed hardwood about 40 years old with low mast production and few den sites was selected in the West Virginia University Forest, II miles east of Morgantown. The tree canopy was removed from a 30-foot wide strip centered on the fence line, leaving...