Resource Catalog
Document
Wildfire is the most ubiquitous ecological disturbance in Alaska's boreal forests, and as the primary driver of secondary succession in boreal forests, it directly influences the availability of habitat for many Alaskan wildlife species. However, it remains unknown whether large herbivores, such as moose, preferentially select for burned areas in relation to other habitat features. Furthermore, fire severity is an important control over post-fire succession and production of deciduous species. Fire severity may influence the overall quality of summer and winter habitat for moose, but the relationship between the availability and duration of biomass production and moose habitat use are largely unknown. To examine these relationships, we used data from 15 GPS collared moose in the 20-year-old regenerating Hajdukovich Creek burn in Interior Alaska. We conducted browse assessment surveys that were stratified across fire severity to measure forage production and other habitat characteristics (i.e., plant mortality and architecture class). Next, we used dynamic Brownian bridge movement models (dBBMMs) to determine whether regenerating forests, and fire severity, affect habitat use patterns of moose across their seasonal home ranges and core use areas. Across moose home ranges, individuals selected for a variety of different habitats types including shrubs, burned areas, and deciduous and coniferous forests. Within the burned areas, moose selected for low-severity sites more often than high-and moderate-severity sites during the winter. In summer, moose selected for high-severity sites. Nearly 200 kg/ha of forage biomass was produced across all sites within the Hajdukovich Creek Burn, but production and availability varied depending on fire severity and browse species. We demonstrate that moose selected areas with high availability of willow biomass (i.e., low-severity sites) more than areas with the most total woody browse biomass (i.e. high-severity sites). Additionally, high-severity sites had the greatest rates of plant mortality and brooming, which may reduce foraging efficiency. These results along with decrease in selection for high-severity sites in winter, suggests that moose are responding to declining habitat conditions. The increase in selection for high-severity sites in summer may be due to cover availability offered by the establishment of a thick deciduous canopy. These results also show that wildfire severity can create an important, yet dynamic, mosaic of habitat for moose.
Cataloging Information
- browsing
- fire severity
- habitat
- moose
- 14-3-01-44