Spatial distribution of mammals in relation to spruce plantations in birch forests of northern Norway

Abstract

Spruce plantations in coastal birch forests of northern Norway might affect the spatial activity of mammals in the landscape. To investigate this relationship, I censused tracks of mammals in the winter according to the Finnish wildlife triangle method and analysed these at three spatial scales; tree stand level, landscape level and regional level, the two first being related to spruce. The spatial activity of mammals did not show any distinct responses to spruce plantations at the level of spruce stands or landscapes. There were, however, significant trends in spatial distribution of some species at the regional level, but these could not be attributed to structural alterations of the forest due to spruce plantations. There is still a lack of basic knowledge, requiring further research on the spatial ecology of mammals in birch forests of northern Norway.