Why Study Flying Squirrels!?

Flying squirrels are often termed indicator species because they live in older forests.  Indicator species are species that tell us how well the ecosystem or environment is doing with out measuring every part of the ecosystem.  In our study we are interested in the effects of intensive forestry on the survival and movement of northern flying squirrel.  The amount of mature forest in New Brunswick has decreased by 1% per year since 1970.  This means that animals that depend on older forests may have problems surviving as the amount of older forest becomes smaller.  Flying squirrels have evolved to use gliding to move quickly from one tree to another.  Research has shown they avoid open areas and prefer moving through areas with trees.

What are we Researching?

We are studying the flying squirrel to better understand how flying squirrels are doing in areas of low mature forest compared to areas of high mature forest.  The area of southern New Brunswick has lost large areas of mature forest and the remaining forest patches are seperated by younger forest, plantations and clearcuts.  We are studying the surival of flying squirrels in areas with low amounts of older forests to see if they are doing as well in areas with high amounts of older forests.