Machine learning identification of microhabitat features associated with occupancy of artificial nestboxes by hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) in a UK woodland site

Hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) have severely declined since 2000 leading to increased legislative protection in the UK and Europe. Artificial nestboxes are widely used for its conservation and monitoring. Previous research has focused on how to identify suitable areas for nestboxes, but where to place individual boxes to promote occupancy is less well understood. Here, we demonstrate the use of machine learning Random Forest regression to predict nestbox occupancy from a wide range of microhabitat variables using a UK woodland as a case study. Random forest models are powerful predictive tools that allow simultaneous testing of many predictors with relatively few observations.
Field data included observed nestbox occupancy (2017-2021) and measurements of 76 microhabitat variables collected in the summer of 2021 from 45 occupied and unused nestboxes located in a deciduous woodland in Berkshire, UK. We applied Random Forest regression to identify important variables and predict ...,
Study area and dormice surveys
The study area was within the grounds of Basildon Park House (BPH), a National Trust property with extensive woodland, located in Berkshire, UK (see paper for further details). 
In 2013, 144 nestboxes were erected at two different woodland areas within BPH: 78 were located in clusters within the northern site, and 66 were positioned along three distinct lines in the southern site. Within the northern site, mature beech (Fagus sylvatica), ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and oak (Quercus spp.) are the most frequent tree species with sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) and field elm (Ulmus minor) occasional. Hawthorn and coppiced hazel are dominant in the understorey layer, with holly (Ilex aquifoliaceae) and young sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) frequent, and other species such as field maple (Acer campestre), whitebeam (Sorbus aria) and rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) occasional. Bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.) and honeysuckle are abundant in both the understorey and field ..., , # Data from: Machine learning identification of microhabitat features associated with occupancy of artificial nestboxes by hazel dormice (*Muscardinus avellanarius*) in a UK woodland site

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1c59zw43q](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1c59zw43q)

## Description of the data and file structure

Two datasets in csv format describing hazel dormice occupancy and microhabitat features for 45 artificial nestboxes in a UK woodland, and one R script (Rmd format) providing all code necessary to recreate the analyses and graphs presented in the published paper.

###### **Dataset 1 \"MalyanetalDataPub1.csv\" main dataset describing nestbox occupancy and microhabitat variable data collected in May 2021.**

The dataset contains 46 rows (1 header with variable names and 45 observations, 1 per studied nestbox) and 75 columns (variables). Variables are described in the table below. Missing data is indicated by NA.

| **Variable Name** | **Description** ...