Quantifying microhabitat selection of snowshoe hares using forest metrics from UAS-based LiDAR

This dataset and code was used to evaluate the influence of forest
structure (mapped using high-resolution light detection and ranging
[LiDAR] data, collected on unoccupied aerial systems [UAS]) on snowshoe
hare (Lepus americanus) microhabitat use within the temperate-boreal
forests of northern New England. We mapped 14 forested stands (each 20 ha)
using UAS-LiDAR (>300 returns/m2) and conducted fecal pellet
surveys to estimate snowshoe hare microhabitat selection during the
leaf-off and leaf-on seasons of 2022. We used the LiDAR point cloud data
to generate traditional forest metrics (canopy closure, sapling
prevalence, and shrub prevalence) that are often used in snowshoe hare
habitat studies and three-dimensional metrics that we hypothesized to
represent predator exposure (viewshed and lacunarity) and food
availability (lacunarity). The data and code herein was used to evaluate
which of these most influenced snowshoe hare microhabitat use during the
leaf-off and leaf-on seasons.