Endangered Species in Cape Breton: The American Marten

By Samantha Smith, NSEN Journalism Volunteer

What is the American Marten?

The American Marten (Martes americana) is a very important animal in Cape Breton. Some even go as far to consider it a keystone species. The marten preys on snowshoe hair and red squirrels, keeping the ecosystem balanced. The American marten is a medium sized (1-2 kg) predator that dons brown fur with the exception of an orange furred chest. You can also recognize them by their round ears and long tails. They are skilled at climbing trees and are resourceful at moving across the forest floor. They have special adaptations for this like semi-retractable claws and heavily furred paws (UINR, 2006, 1).

Habitat

In Nova Scotia, an old-growth forest and a mixed coniferous-deciduous forest are preferred habitats of Martes americana. Due to their shrinking population, the marten only resides in two parts of Cape Breton Island. These are both in the Cape Breton Highlands. The current population is estimated to be under 100 animals. Some population estimates even suggest it could be as low as 15 to 30 martens (Doucette & Miller, 2015, 36). It is reasonable to assume that this population has been separated from the mainland population for up to 10,000 years.

Endangerment

Cape Breton Island used to have a plentiful population of American Martens. Until the 1860s, there was a population large enough to have over 1000 animals for each annual harvest. The numbers gradually decreased as time went on. By the 1930s, the marten population in Cape Breton was reduced to very small numbers, similar to today’s estimates. The level of endangerment is so severe, that there is no evidence of successful reproduction since 1979 (Scott, 2001, 4). There have been a couple reintroduction attempts but few successful. To determine why, a study was led by Parks Canada, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and the Nova Scotia Marten Recovery Team. Their goal was to determine if it was possible to release trapped martens in Cape Breton. The team concluded that martens from New Brunswick are the best match genetically, and the best locations for releasing martens are in the Highlands, Trout Brook, North River, and Middle River Wilderness areas (UINR, 2006, 5). This plan is currently in progress. To prevent further endangerment to the American Marten, it is important to consider why they are at risk.

Reasons for Endangerment

Danger and destruction of the martens' habitat is a major reason for their endangerment. There is not a lot of optimal habitat for them. This is largely from deforestation, but increased road construction (through the American Martens habitat) and an increase in human activity near marten habitat also plays a role. Now, trapping for martens has strict regulations and they are more protected, but historically trapping played a role in the species decline (Doucette & Miller, 2015).

Deforestation

This was not a major issue until the outbreak of spruce budworm in the 1970s. The spruce budworm is an invasive species that causes more damage on Nova Scotian softwood than any other insect here. The 1970 outbreak resulted in the loss of 77% of mature balsam fir stems by the year 1987. This meant a large loss of spruce and fir. The loss was estimated to be 50% of all the softwood volume on Cape Breton (excluding the Highlands). This is detrimental to the marten as these forests are their habitat. To make matters worse, to salvage the loss of wood, most of these areas were clear cut. Meaning in these affected areas, all the trees were cut-down and removed, leaving little to no habitat for the American Martens. Now, the affected areas are completely regrown, though there has been a significant decrease in the dominance of coniferous versus deciduous trees.

Trapping

A significant reason for the decline in population is past unregulated trapping of American Martens. Luckily today, Martens are a protected species. Most of the current trapping occurs by accident. Martens sometimes fall victim to traps set out for other prey

like minks. The Trappers Association of Nova Scotia recommends that trappers do not place traps where marten tracks are visible, use water-sets for minks, and modify snowshoe hare snares.

Actions Being Taken to Protect American Martens

The Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources started a plan to increase and retain the American Marten population in Cape Breton. Their plan was to create protective zones where martens are commonly found, the Marten Habitat Management Zone (MHMZ). These are places in Cape Breton that meet the standards of the martens habitat. The MHMZ encompasses over 20,000 ha of forest protected for marten habitats (Stratton, 2009, 11).

References

Doucette, A., & Miller, C. (2015). HIGH CONSERVATION VALUE FOREST ASSESSMENT REPORT. Port Hawkesbury Paper LP.

Scott, F. (2001). Status of the American Marten, Martes americana, on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.

Stratton, C. B. (2009). Forest Structure and Small-mammal Responses to Variable-retention Timber Harvest in the Cape Breton Highlands of Nova Scotia. Library and Archives Canada/Bibliothèque et Archives Canada.

UINR. (2006). American Marten in Unama’ki. Species at Risk, 5. Accessed from http://dev.uinr.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/american-marten-info-1.pdf