Managing Maine's Martens By Cathy Genthner The results of the recently completed Marten Landscape Project, involving the work of nearly 80 biologists and researchers, reveal that the American Marten (pine marten) population in Maine is very healthy. Maine has the largest population of martens south of the US-Canadian border with habitat to support roughly 15,000 martens. Conversely, the marten is on the endangered species list in Vermont, and Newfoundland and was recently declared endangered in Nova Scotia. Dr. Daniel Harrison, a professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Maine, headed up the Marten Landscape Project. The project, which began in the spring of 2000, consisted of studying martens and their habitat at Baxter State Park and two sites in the Chesuncook Lake area. "Dr. Harrison has worked with us for a number of years and his work is central to the development of our marten management system which is generated from a species assessment," said Wally Jakubas, the mammal group leader at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. "The management system is used to set trapping regulations. I would say the marten is in pretty good shape." A thriving matien population i indicative of healthy populations of other animals that the matten depends on for prey uch as mice, red-backed voles and snowshoe hares, as well as animals that depend on the matien for their prey, including fishers, coyotes, owls and hawks. The success of the marten also serves as a barometer to tell u the condition of our forests.
Parallel Planning "ln Northern Maine we came up with a parallel planning process to use the marten like the 'canary in the coal mine' to give us an indication as to just how healthy our forest landscapes arc," said llarrison , who has been studying martens since 1989. "We think the marten is a really good indicator of fore t health. We started with the marien for the marten's MAINE Fish and Wildlife
Through wise conservation practices, this member of the weasel family is thriving in Maine, while it is on the endangered species list in other Northeastern states and Canadian provinces. How we manage forest cutting practices and trapping is key to its continued success in Maine.
sake, because they were endangered in other states. We were trying to avoid the controversy over a species like the spotted owl in the western states where logging was taking place." The Forest Practices Act of 1987 put restrictions on the size of clear cut and as a re ult, many logging companies opted for small checkerboards of clear cuts or partial harvests. While a large clear cut may be unsightly to some of us, an old clear cut on which trees were harve ted 20 years ago and has grown back offers martens the large expanses of the forest that they need as habitat. "Through clear cutting referendums, we have said we don't like clear cuts. Partial harvesting means that to get the same amount of wood, we have to impact a greater number of acres," said Harrison.
"ln some ways, the best way to keep martens around is to have large areas of clear cuts together and large areas of uncut forests together. A big block of clear cut is future habitat. A big block of forest is current habitat. Small checkerboards of clear cuts or partial harvests below the threshold look good to people, but not to marten ." When it comes to how they like their forests, ma11ens can be pretty fussy. According to Harrison, martens prefer mature, but not necessarily old, tree growth forests. They need fairly dense forests consisting of roughly I 00 trees that are at least six inches in diameter per acre and they need large connected tracts of sustainable fore t because they have fairly large territories. "Martens need the most area of any Winter 2003 Page 23