Forestry maps as an information source for description of moose winter yards

Abstract

One hundred and twenty-one moose (Alces alces) winter yards were located in February 1975 in La Vérendrye Fish and Game Reserve, Quebec. At this time of winter, they occupied a mean area of 0.44 km2. The yards were established on various slopes or on mountain tops without preference to a particular exposure. This habitat is situated on gentle slopes of less than 11% inclination, and at an altitude less than 46 m above bodies of water considered as components of summer habitats. Discriminant analysis showed that the habitat used by moose differs from unused sites only by a lack of bodies of water and shade-intolerant stands. The typical winter yard corresponds to a mosaic of mature and disturbed stands varying in structure and age and provides both cover and food. It is dominated by white birch (Betula papyrifera) associated with conifers. Forestry maps alone cannot identify all parameters for a suitable site but coupled with topographic maps they can, for some years, localise potential sites to be protected from logging.

Validité de la carte forestière pour décrire les habitats fauniques à l'échelle locale : une étude de cas en Abitibi-Témiscamingue

“…Kim Lowe// comme l'orignal (Alces alces) (Masd et Simard 1980, Proulx et Joyal 1981 et le caribou (Rangifer tarandus) (Ouellet et al 1996). Avec les prtoccupations grandissantes concernant la gestion inti@ et la biodiversit6, les donnhs de la carte forestibre sont de plus en plus utilistes pour dtcrire les habitats d'une varittt d'espbces fauniques.…”

Moose Habitat Needs

“…White pine (Pinus strobus) and hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) are important cover species in the Great Lakes -St. Lawrence forest region. Most forest stands used by moose in a Quebec study by Proulx and Joyal(1981) had a canopy cover ranging from 41 to 80% and a height of 9 to 21 m. Peek et a/. (1 976) reported 72% of moose bed sites were in stands with trees < 3m apart, 69% were adjacent to balsam fir and 57% were in stands with a canopy height > 15m.…”

Moose, <em>Alces alces</em>, Winter Browse Use in Central Labrador

“…), and with lesser amounts of Red-osier Dog wood (Cornus stolonifera), Pin Cherry (Prunus penn sylvanica), Mountain Ash (Sorbus americana), and Viburnum spp. (Dodds 1960;Bergerud and Manuel 1968;Peek 1974;Proulx and Joyal 1981;McLaren et al 2000). Leaves and annual growth stems of the above species are dominant spring and summer forage.…”