Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

When windstorms or logging create small gaps in older forest, and these openings fill in with dense young spruce and fir, snowshoe hares find good hiding cover and food sources. The gaps collect and maintain snow cover longer than more-open woods, providing settings where white hare can blend in and be less exposed to predators.

A strategically sited timber harvest increases sunlight that “turns up the temperature” on the ground, helping turtles successfully nest and lay eggs that will produce young.

Biologist Brehan Furfey hopes Vermont's network of protected lands will help the young lynx reach the state's Northeast Kingdom "where it will find more young forest habitat and plenty of snowshoe hares to eat."