| Summary: | Clearcutting is an important part of forest management and substantially changes the living conditions of wildlife. This study was performed in clearcuts of the mixed spruce-deciduous forests in Northwestern and Central Lithuania. There were 771 sample plots in 1,825 hectares. Hares least preferred cuts in the first successional stage (Īi=0.00, G=0.00). Hares used these areas while run to other places. More advanced staged of regeneration were preferred; especially the coppice of the 1rst age class. The older coppice was less preferred whereas hares preferred the ecotones and interval spaces (Īi=1.20-1.63, G=0.45) (r=0.743, P=0.021). Differences between mountain hare (Lepus timidus L.) and brown hare (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778) were not investigated because there was only one occurrence of the mountain hare. The changes in hare distribution from the random to clumped showed the random into clumped one reflect the changes in favourability of the living conditions. The first case of changes in the cutover importance is “an unchanged status”, the second is the “prevalence of the foraging conditions”, and third case in changes is “mixed status of the area where both foraging and refuge are fulfilled.
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