In the continued effort to enhance conservation of shrubland habitats and associated Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN), the RCN Project Implementing Bird Action Plans for Shrubland Dependents in the Northeast has helped complete Under Cover: Wildlife of Shrublands and Young Forest, provided below.

The 65 birds, mammals and reptiles profiled in this publication depend on young forests or shrublands for their continued existence.  This document describes the habitat needs of these species and shows the many benefits that structurally and floristically diverse young forests and shrublands provide.

While shrublands and young forest have been shown to benefit a great number of wild species, conservation efforts in the East have focused mainly on preserving older forest. An equally abundant assemblage of wildlife depends on mature forest habitats, and it is clear that conserving mature forest benefits certain species of wildlife. However, as we enter the twenty-first century, disturbances caused by fires, farm abandonment, beaver activities, and clearcut logging are becoming increasingly rare. More and more, conservation professionals agree that we must use habitat management techniques, founded on scientific research and carried out with foresight and care, to keep a significant component of early successional habitat on the landscape. Perhaps the best metric to gauge how much of our woodlands should be managed for this type of habitat is the acreage needed to conserve the rare and declining wildlife currently dependent on these habitats.