Prescribed burning effects on summer elk forage availability in the subalpine zone, Banff National Park, Canada

Sachro, L.L.; Strong, Wayne L; Gates, C. Cormack

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2005.04.003

Cited by 39 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The study area contained ;200 km 2 of prescribed and natural fires from 1970 as a result of Parks Canada and Alberta firerestoration policy (White et al 2003). Elk forage biomass was enhanced by fire in the study area (Sachro et al 2005).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 90%

A Multi‐scale Test of the Forage Maturation Hypothesis in a Partially Migratory Ungulate Population

Hebblewhite¹,

Merrill²,

McDermid³

2008

Ecological Monographs

412

599

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Abstract. The forage maturation hypothesis (FMH) proposes that ungulate migration is driven by selection for high forage quality. Because quality declines with plant maturation, but intake declines at low biomass, ungulates are predicted to select for intermediate forage biomass to maximize energy intake by following phenological gradients during the growing season. We tested the FMH in the Canadian Rocky Mountains by comparing forage availability and selection by both migrant and nonmigratory resident elk (Cervus elaphus) during three growing seasons from [2002][2003][2004]. First, we confirmed that the expected trade-off between forage quality and quantity occurred across vegetation communities. Next, we modeled forage biomass and phenology during the growing season by combining ground and remote-sensing approaches. The growing season started 2.2 days earlier every 1 km east of the continental divide, was delayed by 50 days for every 1000-m increase in elevation, and occurred 8 days earlier on south aspects. Migrant and resident selection for forage biomass was then compared across three spatial scales (across the study area, within summer home ranges, and along movement paths) using VHF and GPS telemetry locations from 119 female elk. Migrant home ranges occurred closer to the continental divide in areas of higher topographical diversity, resulting in migrants consistently selecting for intermediate biomass at the two largest scales, but not at the finest scale along movement paths. In contrast, residents selected maximum forage biomass across all spatial scales. To evaluate the consequences of selection, we compared exposure at telemetry locations of migrant and resident elk to expected forage biomass and digestibility. The expected digestibility for migrant elk in summer was 6.5% higher than for residents, which was corroborated with higher fecal nitrogen levels for migrants. The observed differences in digestibility should increase migrant elk body mass, pregnancy rates, and adult and calf survival rates. Whether bottom-up effects of improved forage quality are realized will ultimately depend on trade-offs between forage and predation. Nevertheless, this study provides comprehensive evidence that montane ungulate migration leads to greater access to higher-quality forage relative to nonmigratory congeners, as predicted by the forage maturation hypothesis, resulting primarily from large-scale selection patterns.

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Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 90%

A Multi‐scale Test of the Forage Maturation Hypothesis in a Partially Migratory Ungulate Population

Hebblewhite¹,

Merrill²,

McDermid³

2008

Ecological Monographs

412

599

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Conversely, elk and moose both respond positively to the increased forage within burned areas (Tracy & McNaughton, 1997;Karns, 1998;Maier et al, 2005;Mao et al, 2005;Sachro et al, 2005). Despite their reliance on old forests, Bergerud (1974) suggested that the direct loss of lichen forage due to fire or logging was not sufficient to cause observed declines in caribou populations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of fire on spatial separation between wolves and caribou

Robinson

Hebblewhite

DeCesare

et al. 2012

Ran

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Fire management is an important conservation tool in Canada's national parks. Fires can benefit some species, while others may be negatively impacted. We used GPS and VHF collar data for 47 wolves from 12 separate packs and 153 caribou from 5 separate herds, and resource selection analysis to model the effects of fire on these species' habitat and potential interactions. Resource selection modeling showed that wolves select for burned areas and areas close to burns, presumably due to the presence of primary prey (i.e., elk and moose), while caribou avoid burns. Fire reduced the amount of high quality caribou habitat (a direct effect), but also increased the probability of wolf-caribou overlap (an indirect effect). We delineated a spatial index of caribou "safe zones" (areas of low overlap with wolves), and found a positive relationship between the proportion of a herd's home range represented by "safe zone" in winter and population size (P = 0.10, n=4). While currently-planned prescribed fires in Banff and Jasper reduced the amount of quality caribou habitat by up to 4%, they reduced the area of "safe zones" by up to 7%, varying by herd, location, and season. We suggest that conservation managers should account for the indirect, predator-mediated impacts of fire on caribou in addition to direct effects of habitat loss.

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“…Studies have shown that many large ungulates, such as moose (A Ices alces\ Parker 2008a, Nelson et al 2008), elk (Cervus elaphus; Peck 1987, Sachro et al 2005, Van Dyke and Darragh 2007) and Stone's sheep (Ovis dalli stonei; Seip andBunnell 1985a, Walker 2005) select for post-fire vegetation. Yet, there have been few efforts to quantify the influence that fire has on the interactions between species.…”

Section: K)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ungulates depend on plant communities for survival and up to 40-60% of each day is spent foraging (Wickstrom et al 1984). Following a bum, many studies have found important, but often short-lived improvements in forage quantity (Singer and Harter 1996, Sachro et al 2005, Van Dyke and Darragh 2007) and forage quality, as measured by crude protein, digestibility, and nutrient content o f available forage Spowart 1984, Van Dyke andDarragh 2007); others have found no difference in nutritional value, rather that changes in abundance and forage composition result in increased foraging efficiency (Seip 1983, Canon et al 1987.…”

Section: Vegetation Response To Fire and Forage For Ungulatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of prescribed fire on Stone's sheep and Rocky Mountain elk: Forage characteristics and resource separation.

Sittler¹

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All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL U SER S The quality of this reproduction is dep en d en t upon the quality of the copy submitted.In the unlikely even t that the author did not sen d a com plete manuscript and there are m issing p a g es, th e se will be noted. Also, if material had to be rem oved, a note will indicate the deletion. Landsat imageiy, survey flights and GPS telemetry at a landscape scale. By one year after burning, forage digestibility and rates of forage growth were higher on burned than unbumed areas. At both scales Stone's sheep and elk always used bums more than control areas in winter. UMIStone's sheep and elk appeared to partition their use o f the landscape through topography and land cover. Increased use o f burned areas suggests that prescribed fire enhanced habitat value for grazing ungulates in the short-term. By altering animal distributions, however, the use of prescribed fire has the potential to change complex predator-prey interactions in northern BC.

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Prescribed burning effects on summer elk forage availability in the subalpine zone, Banff National Park, Canada

Cited by 39 publications

References 22 publications

A Multi‐scale Test of the Forage Maturation Hypothesis in a Partially Migratory Ungulate Population

A Multi‐scale Test of the Forage Maturation Hypothesis in a Partially Migratory Ungulate Population

The effect of fire on spatial separation between wolves and caribou

Influence of prescribed fire on Stone's sheep and Rocky Mountain elk: Forage characteristics and resource separation.

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