Ruffed Grouse Conservation Plan Executive Report
"Ruffed grouse populations generally have declined since 1980 throughout much of the eastern United States where their popularity as a game species is greatest."
"Ruffed grouse populations exhibit a 10-year cycle throughout the northern portion of the bird’s range. Local populations will increase for 4 to 5 years, eventually becoming quite numerous. The population peak will then be followed by 4 to 5 years of steady decline until the birds become relatively scarce. Then, the cycle begins again. Populations south of the northern tier of the United States exist at relatively low population densities and do not consistently exhibit detectable 10-year population cycles."
"Aspen forests can support many more ruffed grouse than other types of forest. Young aspen forests provide excellent year-round habitat for ruffed grouse, especially since the flower bud found on mature male aspen trees is an important source of winter food. Indeed, the aspen forests of the Great Lakes Region can be considered the very heart of the ruffed grouse range."
"Ruffed grouse are abundant only where young forests, those from 5 to 20 years of age, are common. These young-forest habitats typically support 5,000 to 8,000 trees and shrubs per acre and provide ruffed grouse with excellent protection from hawks, owls and other predators."
"Historically, young-forest habitats were sustained throughout the ruffed grouse range primarily by fires caused by lightning or by Native Americans. Today, in most regions, mature timber must be cut at regular intervals (every 10 to 15 years) to provide a mosaic of forest habitats of various ages and a continuous supply of quality ruffed grouse habitat. Frequently, grouse habitat management is best accomplished through sustainable forest management."
"Sustainable forestry practices that remove all or most of the trees at one time from an area of 3 acres (1.2 ha) or more are the best tools to establish and sustain quality ruffed grouse habitat. These practices are phrased even-age management because they result in a forest stand where all of the trees are nearly the same age. By removing all or most of the forest canopy at one time, a thick, young-forest habitat—ideal for ruffed grouse—develops. Unfortunately, because this type of habitat management can be visually dramatic, it is often both poorly understood and poorly accepted by some within the general public. The visual impacts of these types of habitat management practices can be mitigated by altering the size and shape of the harvest units and by retaining small patches of standing trees within the units."
