Spatio-temporal availability of soft mast in clearcuts in the Southern Appalachians Melissa J. Reynolds-Hogland a, * , Michael S. Mitchell b,1 , Roger A. Powell c a School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, 602 Duncan Drive, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA b U.S. Geological Survey, Alabama Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA c Department of Zoology, 241 David Clark Labs, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA Received 20 April 2006; received in revised form 26 September 2006; accepted 27 September 2006 Abstract Soft mast is an important resource for many wild populations in the Southern Appalachians, yet the way clear-cutting affects availability of soft mast though time is not fully understood. We tested a theoretical model of temporal availability of soft mast in clearcuts using empirical data on percent cover and berry production of Gaylussacia, Vaccinium, and Rubus spp. plants in 100 stands that were clearcut (0–122 years old) in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. We modeled the relationship between soft mast availability and stand age, evaluated the effects of topography and forest type on soft mast, developed statistical models for predicting the spatio-temporal distribution of soft mast, and tested the hypothesis that percent cover of berry plants and berry production provided similar information about soft mast availability. We found temporal dynamics explained berry production better than it predicted percent plant cover, whereas topographic variables influenced percent plant cover more than they influenced berry production. Berry production and percent plant cover were highest in 2–9-year-old stands. Percent plant cover was lowest in 10–69-year-old stands and intermediate in 70+-year-old stands. Three of our spatio-temporal models performed well during model testing and they were not biased by the training data, indicating the inferences about spatio-temporal availability of soft mast extended beyond our sample data. The methods we used to estimate the distribution of soft mast may be useful for modeling distributions of other resources. # 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Clearcuts; Habitat; Timber harvesting; Wildlife 1. Introduction Improving habitat quality for some populations of wild animals is often considered an objective of harvesting trees on forested landscapes. Timber harvesting increases availability of soft mast (Clark et al., 1994; Mitchell et al., 2002; Noyce and Coy, 1990; Perry et al., 1999; Stransky and Roese, 1984), an important component of habitat for many wild animals (Jonkel and Cowan, 1971; Elowe and Dodge, 1989; Boddy, 1991; Castleberry et al., 2002; Thomas, 1984; Thompson and Fritzell, 1986; Willson, 1986). Availability of soft mast in harvested stands and its affect on habitat quality, however, is not static. It changes through time due to succession. In recently harvested stands, availability of soft mast can be relatively high (Clark et al., 1994; Mitchell et al., 2002; Noyce and Coy, 1990; Perry et al., 1999; Stransky and Roese, 1984) because conditions favor early successional species, some of which produce soft mast (e.g., Rubus spp.; Archambault et al., 1998; Costello and Sage, 1994; McCarty et al., 2002; Perry et al., 1999). As stands age and forest canopies close, however, availability of soft mast due to early successional species declines (Mitchell et al., 2002; Mitchell and Powell, 2003). Eventually, availability of soft mast should increase again as conditions favor later successional species, some of which produce soft mast (e.g., Vaccinium spp. Ihalainen et al., 2003; Perry et al., 1999). Knowing the range of stand ages in which soft mast is most available may be key to maintaining levels of soft mast on forested landscapes for wild animals. Equally important is to know the range of stand ages in which soft mast is least available because one way to optimize soft mast availability www.elsevier.com/locate/foreco Forest Ecology and Management 237 (2006) 103–114 * Corresponding author at: 559 Grandview Drive, Stevensville, MT 59870, USA. Tel.: +1 406 777 3406; fax: +1 334 844 1084. E-mail addresses: meljor1@yahoo.com, reynomj@auburn.edu (M.J. Reynolds-Hogland). 1 Current address: U.S. Geological Survey, Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, University of Montana, Natural Sciences Building Room 205, Missoula, MT 59812, USA. 0378-1127/$ – see front matter # 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2006.09.035