Management of Roosevelt Elk Habitat and Harvest

Historically, Roosevelt elk (Cervus elaphus roosevelti) were distributed from northern California to southern British Columbia in the coastal Pacific Northwest. During the Pleistocene, the subspecies was isolated reproductively from the Rocky Mountain elk (C. e. nelsoni) to the east by the Cascade Mountain Range and by glaciation (Guthrie 1966). Thus Roosevelt elk have adapted to relatively moist forest habitats with maritime climates, while Rocky Mountain elk evolved under the continental climate of the interior. Unfortunately, less is known of Roosevelt elk biology than of the closely related Rocky Mountain elk east of the Cascades. This has frequently resulted in generalization of Rocky Mountain elk research findings to management of Roosevelt elk. However, differing evolutionary histories may have resulted in significant differences in the two subspecies\u27 behavior, physiology, and habitat requirements. It may be improper to manage Roosevelt elk as if they are Rocky Mountain elk. Wood products production is one of the most important industries within the range of the Roosevelt elk; opportunities for conflict between elk and forest management are numerous. Our objectives are to postulate probable primeval Roosevelt elk-habitat relationships, to describe contemporary elk habitats and impacts of forest management on elk, and to discuss areas of compromise and cooperation between wildlife and forest managers

Effects of chronic herbivory and historic land use on population structure of a forest perennial, Trillium catesbaei

Question: How have long-term herbivory and past land use impacted the population structure of Trillium catesbaei, a long-lived rhizomatous herb? Location: Western Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA. Methods: We examined T. catesbaei populations at three sites: (1) Cades Cove (CC), an area of intensive historic land use that has been maintained as open fields and woodlots with a history of chronic deer herbivory, (2) Whiteoak Sink (WOS), a reference area with similar land-use history, geology, and soils that has succeeded to closed-canopy forest with relatively low levels of deer herbivory, and (3) Leadbetter Ridge (LBR), an area of primary forest that has never received significant anthropogenic disturbance. Trillium catesbaei is the most common Trillium species at the three study sites, but smaller in stature, shorter lived, and more of a habitat generalist. Results: Chronic herbivory in CC has created a highly-truncated age structure with no plants older than 9 years, while plant ages at the other sites were more evenly distributed. Compared to WOS, plants in CC were younger at a given height and more likely to flower when younger. Across all life stages, populations at CC contained 68 x fewer plants than WOS. The age structures of WOS and LBR were similar. Compared to published age estimates for other Trillium species, our results suggest that T. catesbaei is relatively short lived within the genus. Conclusions: Chronic herbivory had pronounced effects on the population structure of a perennial herb. Other long-lived herbaceous species may exhibit similar truncated age structures and flowering by younger and smaller plants. Habitat generalist species within a genus, such as T. catesbaei, that are able to reproduce more quickly may persist longer under chronic herbivory. However, chronic herbivory has likely caused the loss of herbaceous species from CC and may eventually cause the local extirpation of T. catesbaei populations. © IAVS; Opulus Press