An evaluation of ecological restoration treatments on small mammal communities

Steven Ostoja, Ph.D. Candidate, Utah State University, smostoja@cc.usu.edu

This study has been designed in order to understand several aspects of rodent population and community ecology in an ecological restoration context.  Researchers will evaluate pre- and post-restoration treatments on rodent population and community dynamics. The rodent communities will be evaluated in three ecological restoration treatment types: (1) control, (2) prescribed fire, and (3) mechanical vegetation thinning.  In each treatment type researchers will establish three replicate trapping grids.  Trapping grids will be a 7 x 7 arrangement with 7 m between adjacent traps (n = 147 traps/treatment plot).  Trapping was conducted three times before treatments (2006), and will continue three times per year for two years following the treatments.