Forest Cover and Snow: Implications for Deer Habitat in Southeast Alaska

Comparison of five canopy cover estimation techniques in the western Oregon Cascades

“…Larger angles of view result in greater estimates of canopy cover because canopy gaps visually ''close'' as the angle of view is lowered from directly overhead towards the horizon (Kirchoff and Schoen, 1987;Bunnell and Vales, 1990). For a given amount of vertical canopy cover, we would expect that estimates from narrow-and wide-angle techniques would be more similar in single-layer stands than in multi-layer stands.…”

Hunter demand for deer on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska: an analysis of influencing factors.

“…High snow volume in a clearcut adjacent to a winter refuge may trap the deer in that area. Therefore, the overwintering habitat should be large enough to prevent overbrowsing (Kirchhoff and Schoen 1987).…”

Bark stripping damage to conifer plantations in relation to the abundance of sika deer in Hokkaido, Japan

“…Energy expenditure for locomotion of deer increases with snow depth (Parker et al, 1984). Because the canopy cover intercepts snowfall (Kirchhoff and Schoen, 1987;Koizumi, 1988), forest stands with a dense canopy cover provide important winter habitat for deer that inhabit regions with deep snow (Bloom, 1978;Koizumi, 1988;Pauley et al, 1993;Yabe, 1995;Kaneko et al, 1998). The snow interception rate by canopies is largest for evergreen conifers, followed by deciduous conifers, and lowest for deciduous hardwood species (Nakai et al, 1993).…”