Habitat Preference of Sables in Winter

The habitat preference of sables (Martes zibellina) in winter was studied by radiotracking and GPS (Global Positing System) in Daxinganling Mountains,China.The results showed that:1)Sables preferred forest attributes associated with late succession.In winter,sables selected the dominant trees were Larix gmelini (55.3%) and selected forest with intermediate to dense tree canopy (71.6%).2)Sables preferred for the middle of slope and slope bottoms (83.6%) and did not like ridgetops.3)Sables preferred high density of trees (P=0.0001) with bigger DBH (P=0.0014),longer logs (P=0.0007) and higher log density (P=0.0001) etc.4)Sables did not like larchs DBH,shrub canopy and slop aspect etc.5)Sables generally selected sites with high food abundance.According to the results,the forest with attributes associated with late succession stages and the trees with large DBH (>40 cm) should be preserved properly during selection cutting.