Big Game and Cattle Influence on Aspen Community Regeneration Following Prescribed Fire

Walker, Scott C.; Anderson, Val Jo; Fugal, Rachel

doi:10.1016/j.rama.2015.05.005

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 30 publications

(14 reference statements)

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“…For example, this metric was loosely correlated with shrub cover ( r = 0.47) and with the total number of herbivore species present at a plot ( r = 0.40). Although not a significant predictor in our models, co‐occurrence of multiple herbivore species has been associated with higher browsing intensity on aspen in a number of studies (Rhodes, Larsen, Maxwell, et al, 2018; Rhodes, Larsen, & St. Clair, 2018; Walker et al, 2015). Although our data do not provide a clear explanation for the effect of increasing summer temperatures on browsing intensity, changing temperature regimes have been shown to drive altered movement and behavior of wildlife, which could contribute to new patterns in the intensity of ungulate herbivory and novel effects on preferred forage species such as aspen (Malpeli et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…Although livestock fencing is commonly implemented across the more arid portions of aspen's range, the efficacy of this management practice in promoting recruitment is rarely assessed (but see Kay & Bartos, 2000; Kay, 2001b; Maxwell et al, 2019). Most research on the effects of fencing has focused on fences that were erected specifically for an experiment, and consequently often analyzes the effects of a relatively small number of fences occurring within a predetermined range of environmental conditions (e.g., Rhodes, Larsen, & St. Clair, 2018; Rogers & Gale, 2017; Walker et al, 2015). When fencing is used as a management practice, rather than in an experiment, fences are placed intentionally across a landscape to promote recruitment and occur throughout a variety of environmental conditions across large and heterogeneous landscapes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ungulate herbivores as drivers of aspen recruitment and understory composition throughout arid montane landscapes

2022

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Herbivory by wild and domestic ungulates can influence tree recruitment and understory forest communities throughout the world. Herbivore-driven declines in tree recruitment have been observed for quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), a foundation species whose health and management is recognized as a critical priority throughout much of its range. Livestock fencing is commonly used to promote aspen regeneration, but its effectiveness is rarely assessed, especially across large spatial scales. Using a livestock-reduction experiment, we evaluated the effects of ungulate herbivory on aspen in the Great Basin and southern Cascades, an expansive and environmentally heterogeneous region where aspen faces the interacting threats of climate change, conifer encroachment, and herbivory. We found that livestock fencing only reduced the intensity of herbivore browsing on aspen when wild ungulate abundance was low and did not increase stem densities of aspen recruits. Contrary to expectations, wild ungulate abundance was a strong driver of browsing intensity on juvenile aspen within fenced, but not unfenced, aspen stands, and when the abundance of these herbivores was high, browsing intensity in fenced stands exceeded that in unfenced stands. The density of aspen recruits decreased with browsing intensity on juvenile aspen and with the density of both adult aspen and conifers, suggesting that both herbivory and intraand interspecific competition are important drivers of recruitment. Fire history was also an important driver of recruitment, with stands that burned 10-20 years ago having the greatest density of aspen recruits. Finally, in the stand understory, we found that livestock fencing decreased forb cover, increased shrub species richness, and increased the cover of exotic annual grasses, a group dominated by Bromus tectorum. This latter finding suggests that livestock fencing may not be appropriate in areas where controlling the spread of this invader is a priority. In sum, our findings indicate that aspen recruitment is limited by browsing by both wild and domestic ungulates, is mediated by competition with neighboring trees and fire history, and will

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ungulate herbivores as drivers of aspen recruitment and understory composition throughout arid montane landscapes

2022

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“…In 23 studies wild ungulate presence was mentioned, but the authors claimed that they were in low numbers and the impact was negligible in comparison with livestock. There was only one study that clearly differentiated wild herbivore and cattle impact (Walker et al, 2015).…”

Section: Characteristics Of the Studies Included 311 Study Locatiomentioning

confidence: 99%

“… The negative view of forest grazing is partly the outcome of a mix up of the impacts of increased wild ungulate populations and livestock grazing (Kingery and Graham, 1991). Therefore, the impacts of wild and domestic grazers need to be properly separated, because (i) grazing and movement of livestock and wild ungulates can be different, thus having different effects on forest vegetation (Walker et al, 2015;Bernes et al, 2018;Cromsigt et al, 2018); and (ii) livestock are much easier to control (Hester et al 1996;).  Other activities taking place in the same area (e.g.…”

Section: Improving the Research And Practice Of Livestock Grazing In mentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond the obvious impact of domestic livestock grazing on temperate forest vegetation – A global review

Öllerer

Varga

Kirby

et al. 2019

Biological Conservation

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Role and Management of Fire in Rangelands

Scasta,

Twidwell,

Donovan

et al. 2023

Rangeland Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

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Fire is a fundamental ecological process in rangeland ecosystems. Fire drives patterns in both abiotic and biotic ecosystem functions that maintain healthy rangelands, making it an essential tool for both rangeland and wildlife management. In North America, humanity’s relationship with fire has rapidly changed and shifted from an era of coexistence to one that attempts to minimize or eliminate its occurrence. Prior to Euro-American settlement, Indigenous people’s coexistence with fire led to regionally distinct fire regimes that differed in terms of their fire frequency, intensity, severity, seasonality, and spatial complexity. As the relative occurrence of prescribed fire and wildfire continue to change in North American rangelands, it is necessary for wildlife managers to understand the complex social-ecological interactions that shape modern fire regimes and their conservation outcomes. In this chapter, we discuss the fire eras of North American rangelands, introduce foundational relationships between fire and wildlife habitat, and discuss potential futures for fire in wildlife management.

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Big Game and Cattle Influence on Aspen Community Regeneration Following Prescribed Fire

Cited by 7 publications

References 30 publications

Ungulate herbivores as drivers of aspen recruitment and understory composition throughout arid montane landscapes

Ungulate herbivores as drivers of aspen recruitment and understory composition throughout arid montane landscapes

Beyond the obvious impact of domestic livestock grazing on temperate forest vegetation – A global review

Role and Management of Fire in Rangelands

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