Effects of Clearcutting on Hares and Rabbits Responses of Wildlife to Clearcutting and Associated Treatments in the Eastern United States intro table of contents Effects of Clearcutting on Hares and Rabbits 1. Snowshoe Hares 2. Rabbits Generally, lagomorphs are associated with early stages of plant succession because of the succulent new growth found there. Hare use of recent clearcuts apparently is related to high seedling and sapling densities, abundant winter browse, and increased habitat interspersion compared to other forest stands. Apparently young stands are used most if cover is nearby.
Rabbits Rabbits make heavy use of young forests regenerated through clearcutting.
Burning also enhances rabbit habitat. Prescribed fire in the Alabama Piedmont was used by King et al. Far more rabbits were observed on the burned areas than the unburned control area. Population trends for rabbits sometimes are not driven by habitat. New England cottontail response to cutting was investigated for 14 years by Storm et al.