William M. Healy

Declines in the abundance of oak (Quercus spp.) and the failure of oak to regenerate after harvest are widespread problems in eastern North America. Sustaining oak forests will require large-scale and long-term effort. Most of the oak forest resource is owned by individuals, collectively referred to as non-industrial private forest (NIPF) owners. Conservation on NIPF lands is inherently difficult because ownership objectives vary, land tenure is generally short, and land parcels are small. Few NIPF owners have technical training in forestry or wildlife management. Timber harvest is...

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...