Mammals of Eastern Old-Growth Forests in the United States

Many native mammal species rely on the habitat elements provided by old-growth forests in the eastern United States (U.S.). Today, old-growth forests persist as remnant stands in the landscape. Historically, they included a mosaic of eastern forest types including mixed mesophytic, oak–hickory, southeastern evergreen, and hemlock-white pine-northern hardwood forests. Due to the rapid (<250 years) and almost complete (99% loss) removal of old-growth forests from eastern U.S. landscapes, research regarding the current and historic relationship between native mammals and old-growth forests is lacking. Using comparisons with better-studied old-growth forests in the western U.S., historical accounts of mammal distribution, and the habitat elements of eastern old-growth forest types, we aim to describe the mammals currently and historically supported by these rare forests in this scoping review.