Cumulative effects of chronic deer browsing and clear-cutting on regeneration processes in second-growth white spruce stands

Barrette, Martin; Bélanger, Louis; Grandpré, Louis De; Ruel, Jean‐Claude

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2014.06.020

Cited by 32 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Such a high deer density had strong repercussions on the forest. Major modifications in the woody and herbaceous vegetation layers related to intense deer browsing have been reported, such as the quasi-disappearance of the shrub layer and of most deciduous species [35][36][37]. The regeneration of balsam fir forests, a key habitat for deer winter survival on Anticosti Island [38], is currently compromised by deer browsing on balsam fir seedlings.…”

Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structuring Effects of Deer in Boreal Forest Ecosystems

Côté

Béguin

Bellefeuille

et al. 2014

Advances in Ecology

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Many deer populations have recently increased worldwide leading to strong direct and indirect ecological and socioeconomical impacts on the composition, dynamic, and functions of forest ecosystems. Deer directly modify the composition and structure of vegetation communities, but they also indirectly affect other species of the ecosystem by modifying the structure of the vegetation. Here we review the results of a research program on overabundant white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the boreal forest of Anticosti Island (Québec, Canada) aimed at identifying deer densities compatible with forest regeneration. Various silvicultural systems and treatments failed to regenerate deer habitat at high deer densities, but planting size-adapted seedlings could be effective at moderate densities. Using a controlled deer density experiment, we found vegetation recovery at deer densities ≤ 15 deer/km2. The same experiment revealed that other groups of organisms such as insects and birds responded favorably to a reduction of deer density. We also found that alternative successional trajectories may occur after a certain period of heavy browsing during early succession. We conclude that one of the most important remaining research gaps is the need to identify habitat-specific threshold densities at which deer impacts occur and then to design effective wildlife and forest management strategies to limit deer impacts and sustain ecosystem integrity.

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Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structuring Effects of Deer in Boreal Forest Ecosystems

Côté

Béguin

Bellefeuille

et al. 2014

Advances in Ecology

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“…The initial floristic composition shapes the composition and structure of the following ecological communities (Egler, 1954). By repeatedly and selectively foraging on plants before and after a disturbance, large herbivores may shape the early-successional species composition, leading to alternative successional trajectories (Hidding et al, 2013;Bachand et al, 2015;Kolstad et al, 2018) and thus, potentially conducing to changes in forest composition, structure and processes that are difficult to reverse (Scheffer and Carpenter, 2003;Barrette et al, 2014;Franklin and Harper, 2016). For example, high ungulate density has been linked to reduced N mineralization and net primary production in forests (Pastor et al, 1993), and to shifts from closed to open forests (McLaren et al, 2004;Gosse et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From delayed succession to alternative successional trajectory: How different moose browsing pressures contribute to forest dynamics following clear‐cutting

Vriendt

Lavoie

Barrette³

et al. 2020

J Vegetation Science

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Aims: Selective browsing can be a chronic disturbance that reduces the survival, growth and reproduction of individual species and shapes the composition and structure of plant communities. Along with other disturbances that perturb the forest ecosystem, browsing may thus affect forest regeneration and successional trajectories after an acute perturbation such as clear-cutting. However, effects of different browsing pressures on plant species, communities and ultimately succession remain hard to predict. Methods: We implemented a browsing exclusion experiment (n = 15 sites) along a gradient of moose browsing pressure to investigate how this factor influenced the early-successional trajectory of boreal forests following clear-cutting in eastern Canada. We used Principal Response Curve analyses to compare the trajectory of the plant communities depending on site-specific moose browsing pressure and analyzed the trajectory of individual species leveraging these curves. Results: Our results show that all browsing pressures lead to alterations in plant communities when compared to exclosures, but the effect was stronger under heavier browsing pressure. Under heavier browsing pressure, we observed a lower ground cover of balsam fir, an increased ground cover of raspberry, reaching more than 60%, and a lower abundance of saplings for balsam fir, birches and rowan. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that forest response to browsing is a function of local browsing pressure and that moose mainly slowed forest succession toward a closed canopy. However, heavier browsing pressure, through reduced sapling abundance and the resulting increased cover of competitive raspberry, may delay forest succession and push the ecosystem toward an alternative successional trajectory. As heavy selective browsing can interact with anthropogenic disturbances to determine forest succession, we recommend strong integration of the forest and wildlife management sectors to promote sustainability.

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“…Annual precipitation averaged 63 cm of rain and 406 cm of snow (Environment Canada 2006) and weather patterns during our study were within the long‐term climate. The intensive browsing of white‐tailed deer on Anticosti Island has altered the composition of the native plant community, reducing the abundance of white birch ( Betula papyrifera ), trembling aspen ( Populus tremuloides ), and balsam fir ( Abies balsamea ), which is being gradually replaced by less palatable species like white spruce ( Picea glauca ; Barrette et al 2014). Despite the reduction of high‐quality forage, the white‐tailed deer population density on the island has remained high (Simard et al 2008).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Synergistic Population Density and Environmental Effects on Deer Body Condition

2020

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The ability to predict energy and protein allocation to different body condition parameters according to environmental constraints is a key component in understanding the processes underlying population dynamics. We investigated the influence of a proxy of population density and environmental factors on individual body condition parameters of female white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) based on long‐term monitoring (2002–2013) of autumn harvest on Anticosti Island, Québec, Canada. We used dressed body mass, peroneus muscle mass, and rump fat thickness to evaluate the nutritional status of 3,123 adult females. Density index and winter precipitation negatively affected fat reserves in autumn. We detected the negative effect of winter precipitation on fat reserves only at low density likely because individuals at high density were already in bad condition. High normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in spring (May–Jun) reduced body mass, and this influence was more pronounced under high population density, probably because individuals at high densities were less likely to be buffered against environmental fluctuations when resources were scarcer than resources at low population density. Using different body condition parameters, our results provide additional insights on how northern ungulates influenced by food limitation may respond to future environmental changes. We recommend managers to collect long‐term data on multiple physiological indicators of body condition. These data could be used as an index of ecological changes and provide a quantitative basis to help setting harvest objectives or supporting adaptive management. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.

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Cumulative effects of chronic deer browsing and clear-cutting on regeneration processes in second-growth white spruce stands

Cited by 32 publications

References 47 publications

Structuring Effects of Deer in Boreal Forest Ecosystems

Structuring Effects of Deer in Boreal Forest Ecosystems

From delayed succession to alternative successional trajectory: How different moose browsing pressures contribute to forest dynamics following clear‐cutting

Synergistic Population Density and Environmental Effects on Deer Body Condition

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