NOTES ON THE CANADA PORCUPINE IN THE MARITIME PROVINCES

The Canada porcupine is discussed mainly from the standpoint of damage and control. The paper is based on the analysis of a questionnaire issued to foresters and forest rangers and is supplemented by data from the literature and some original observations.Feeding on forest trees is extensive in parts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia but since all of the trees attacked are not crop trees serious damage to the stand does not always follow. Damage is severe in localized areas where the stands are of particular value, as in plantations, experimental areas and around camp sites.The only method of large-scale control ever attempted in the Maritime Provinces has been the bounty system. While the effectiveness of this method has not been carefully studied, it appears from parallel cases in the United States that the bounty system is generally expensive for the degree of control effected. Control methods probably serve best if applied intensively to small areas where the damage is most serious. A method of localized control by den poisoning is discussed.