• Payer, David
  University of Maine, Dept of Wildlife Ecology
  
• Harrison, Daniel J.
  University of Maine, Dept of Wildlife Ecology
  

The American marten is frequently reported to require late-successional, conifer-dominated forests. In the northeastern United States, however, marten uses mixed coniferous-deciduous and deciduous-dominated forests, as well as forests defoliated by insects or managed for fiber. Previous research in Maine also has shown that American marten avoids recent and regenerating clear-cuts with tree height <6 m when establishing home ranges. However, forest stands with a history of extensive defoliation and tree mortality due to an eastern spruce budworm epidemic are not avoided. Such results at the scale of the forest stand suggest that structural attributes other than stand age and dominant overstory type are important determinants of habitat suitability for marten. Characteristics of forest structure contributed by coarse woody debris, understory vegetation, and overstory vegetation have functional significance to marten. This may be the common currency through which habitat suitability for marten should be assessed.