9. Blue Grouse - dedragapus obscurus. About 20" long. Has 6-10 young in a brood. Eats seeds, berries, young shoots and tender leaves. A valuable game bird. Habitat is mostly in coniferous forests. Nests on the ground under brush. Forestry Story - This dense young forest will supply wood for a future generation. Within a few years, it may be thinned by the tree farmer. Small trees thinned out will supply useful wood and the trees which remain will grow faster.
12. Red-Breasted Nuthatch - Sitta canadensis. About 5" long. Has 4-8 young in a brood. Eats insects, nuts and hard seeds. Wedges them in a branch cleft and breaks the shell with its chisel-like bill. Habitat is forest and thicket, usually near civilization. Nests in hollow trees. Forestry Story - The damp, long winters and mild summers coupled with good forest soil produces long-fibered wood of unusual strength in Douglas fir regions of Washington and Oregon. Douglas fir is native to this area.
8. Chinese Ring-Necked Pheasant - Phasianus colchicus. About 25" long. Has 7-13 chicks. Eats insects, grain, shoots. A very important game bird. Habitat is agricultural and semi-agricultural areas. Nests on the ground. Forestry Story - Young Douglas firs 5 to 7 years old begin to blanket the land which was clear-cut to give them light, air and growing room. When the area is fully covered with a new crop, the nearby mature seed trees can be harvested.
1. Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus. About 2 feet high. Wingspread 6-7 feet. Has 1-3 young in a brood. Eats animals, birds, fish and reptiles. Our national emblem. Habitat is wooded areas, usually near water. Nest is huge mass of sticks in a tree or on a pinnacle of rock. Forestry Story - This mountainous area is a tree farm. Tree farms are privately owned forestlands. Their owners agree to grow and harvest timber in repeated crops to help provide a permanent supply of wood for America.
5. Western Chipmunk - Eutamias quadrivittatus. About 9" long. Has 4 to 6 young per litter. Eats seeds, nuts, buds, fruit, insects. Habitat is all forested areas from sea coast to mountain slopes. Home is a burrow in the earth or between rocks. Forestry Story - Seeds from mature cones are scattered by wind over nearby harvested lands to start new crops of Douglas fir for the future. Tree farmers prepare for this natural reseeding by leaving seed trees near cutover areas.
6. Ruffed Grouse - Bonasa umbellus. About 16" long. Has 6-10 chicks. Eats buds, berries, insects and seeds. Noted game bird. Habitat is brush patches and hardwood areas along creeks and river bottoms. Nests on the ground under a bush or tree. Forestry Story - Tiny Douglas fir seedling are protected from the weather by large ferns and other ground growth. Such cover keeps the soil moist and helps the new trees grow sturdy and strong enough to withstand the elements.
3. Mountain Goat - Oreamnos americanus. About 41" tall. Has 1 or 2 kids at once. Eats mountain plants - moss, grass, lichens, twigs and brush. Habitat is the highest and roughest mountains. Rocky ridges and walls. Seldom seen below timber line. Forestry Story - Douglas fir seedlings grow best on open, sunlit ground. That is why Douglas fir forests are harvested by clear-cutting staggered patches on tree farms. New tree crops for the future grow rapidly on the clean, cutover areas.
4. Brown Bear (also Black Bear) - Ursus americanus. About 5 feet long. Weighs 200-500 pounds. Has 1-3 young per litter. Practically omniverous. Fond of honey. Habitat is any suitable wooded area. Has den in winter. Forestry Story - Both wildlife and young fir trees thrive on open tree farm lands. Staggered patches of mature trees are left near harvested areas to provide a natural seed source for the new crop of young trees.
2. Valley Quail - Lophortyx californica. About 10" long. Has 9-15 chicks. Eats weed seeds, grain and insects. Fine game bird. Habitat is agricultural and semi-agricultural regions. Nests on the ground. Forestry Story - Tree farmers grow timber as a crop, just like oats or corn. Most tree farm lands are too hilly or remote for any other use. Any parts found suitable for ordinary farming are usually released for general agriculture.