On the Doorstep: Could American Martens Recolonize Tug Hill?
NYS Tug Hill Commission - Feb 21, 2024
In the northeastern U.S., the historical distribution of American martens (Martes americana) included most of New England and New York State. However, widespread land use changes in the 19th century coupled with a lack of regulations to limit trapping harvests, led to a severe reduction in their geographic range. By the turn of the century in New York, martens were restricted to the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks, a natural refugia within this remote and rugged landscape; features which simultaneously made it inaccessible to trappers and difficult for logging. With added protections in place, marten populations began to increase in the mid-1930s and since then have recovered much of their range in the Adirondacks. In this presentation, Paul Jensen will share results of recent research on this species and discuss the potential for martens to recolonize the Tug Hill region.
Ecology of American martens in the transitional boreal-deciduous forests of Adirondack Park
ForestConnect - Mar 22, 2021
Presented 3/17/2021 by Dr. Paul Jensen. American martens (Martes americana) are small, forest-dependent carnivores that rely on complex forest structure to meet their life history requirements. Previous research in the northeastern U.S. has also demonstrated that marten populations are closely linked with pulsed mast crops (e.g., as produced by American beech (Fagus grandifolia) and American mountain ash (Sorbus americana)). These pulses result in strong bottom-up effects that have both immediate and time-lagged consequences on these predators and their small mammal prey. Please join us as Dr. Jensen discusses the fascinating natural history of these carnivores and his previous research in Adirondack Park, and shares recent results of American Wildlife Conservation Fund sponsored research to develop and deploy small (approx. 30 g) GPS collars on martens to better understand movements and space use relative to mast pulses.
Paul G. Jensen, Murray M. Humphries - Animal Ecology - 25 June 2019
Model selection revealed that fisher use of this landscape was strongly influenced by late winter abiotic conditions, but other bottom-up (forest composition) and top-down (coyote abundance) factors also influenced their distribution. Overall, fisher probability of use was higher where late winter temperatures were warmer, snowpack was deeper, and measures of productivity were greater. Martens were constrained to areas of the landscape where the probability of fisher use, coyote abundance, and productivity were low and selected for forest conditions that presumably maximized prey availability. Marten age data indicated an increased proportion of juveniles outside of the predicted area of sympatry, suggesting that few animals survived >1.5 years in this area that supported higher densities of fishers and coyotes.
Adirondacks Forever Wild - 6 May 2019
The American Marten (Martes americana) is a small, slender-bodied mammal found in conifer and mixed forests in the central Adirondacks and High Peaks regions. American Martens are long, slender-bodied mammals with short legs, a triangular head, pointed snout, and large, rounded ears. The eyes are bright, black, and beady; the nose is black. The bushy tail is about a third of the animal's total weight. American Martens have a general weasel shape, but lack the extreme elongation of the weasels.
Weight ranges from 1½ to about 3 pounds. Males average 15% larger than females in body length and as much as 65% larger in body weight. Although the American Marten has been described in several sources (Whitaker and Hamilton, 1998, Buskirk and Zielinski, 1997) as "about the size of a small house cat," this comparison is misleading, since domestic cats (averaging about 10 pounds) are much larger. A female American Marten (averaging 1.3 to 1.7 pounds) is much closer in weight to a Gray Squirrel (averaging 1 to 1½ pounds). Throughout their range, American Martens are found mainly in mature conifer or mixed forests, although they may also live in mature or young deciduous forests. This species favors closed, coniferous woodlands (as well as cedar swamps). These habitats combine overhead cover with coarse woody debris on the forest floor that provide suitable habitat for the small mammals that provide a major food source for the marten.
Paul G. Jensen et al. - Journal of Wildlife Management - April 2012
Paul G. Jensen - Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montreal - August 2012
