Moose in southern New England?
reddingpilot.com
."There's no question about it. Moose are now living in Connecticut and are here to stay," according to to Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's website. But what does that mean for the state's forests, which some people feel are already beset by a large number of deer? Highstead ecologist Ed Faison and colleagues are studying how both species — separately and collectively — are changing the region's forests. And they are finding that moose and deer do not eliminate tree species but rather slow the rate of tree growth."The reality," according to Mr. Faison, "is that moose are not going to prevent the forests from regenerating. They are just going to change some dynamics
."The impact comes from basic moose biology: Each animal consumes up to 50 pounds of twigs, buds, and leaves from trees and shrubs daily. Due to dense concentrations of nutritious young plants, logged and other recently disturbed areas are most attractive to moose. Hence browsing is apt to be greater and cause larger changes in forests managed for timber than in nearby unlogged forests.Mr. Faison explained that moose are cold-adapted animals that live primarily in northern coniferous forests but range into mixed deciduous forests of southern New England. Following European settlement, moose vanished from southern New England — the result of deforestation and unrestricted hunting. But as forests began to regrow, moose gradually migrated back into their original territories, finally reappearing in southern New England during the 1990s.
Now, for the first time in almost two centuries, the region has two large native herbivores — moose and white-tailed deer.In Connecticut, moose are limited to the state's northern corners where temperatures and forest fragmentation are lowest. Because of southwestern Connecticut's relatively high temperatures, limited conifer forest cover, and extensive forest fragmentation, moose are unlikely to expand their range south into Redding and surrounding towns.Mr. Faison's colleagues include Stephen DeStefano, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, and David Foster, director of the Harvard Forest in Petersham, Mass. Mr. Foster is also the board chair of Highstead, a natural area and nonprofit organization in Redding dedicated to ecological research and conservation, including a leadership role in the Wildlands and Woodlands Initiative.
This regional collaborative works to double the pace of conservation of New England's forested and natural landscapes in order to permanently protect their irreplaceable ecological, economic, and cultural values.The researchers believe their study in northern Connecticut and central Massachusetts is the first on the effects of combined deer and moose browsing in North America.Begun in 2007, the scientists have employed a novel approach to study logged, disturbed forests with nearby undisturbed forests. In each, they examine the vegetation in three areas: fenced to exclude moose and deer, partially fenced to exclude only moose, and unfenced to allow both species access
.This past May, Mr. Faison summarized the results of the study at the North American Moose Conference in New Hampshire. The combination of moose and deer browsing has reduced the height of the regrowing forest far more than deer browsing alone. Moose and deer have also altered the forest composition due to their preference for different plant species. For instance, heavy browsing has reduced the number of birches, pin cherry, and white ash. However, the commercially valuable white pine and black cherry, which the animals largely avoid, have increased in abundance."Moose are a native species and absolutely belong here," said Mr. Faison. "We will continue this research to help increase our knowledge about moose and forest management, although warming temperatures, sadly, may chase moose back to northern New England in the coming decades."
."There's no question about it. Moose are now living in Connecticut and are here to stay," according to to Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's website. But what does that mean for the state's forests, which some people feel are already beset by a large number of deer? Highstead ecologist Ed Faison and colleagues are studying how both species — separately and collectively — are changing the region's forests. And they are finding that moose and deer do not eliminate tree species but rather slow the rate of tree growth."The reality," according to Mr. Faison, "is that moose are not going to prevent the forests from regenerating. They are just going to change some dynamics
."The impact comes from basic moose biology: Each animal consumes up to 50 pounds of twigs, buds, and leaves from trees and shrubs daily. Due to dense concentrations of nutritious young plants, logged and other recently disturbed areas are most attractive to moose. Hence browsing is apt to be greater and cause larger changes in forests managed for timber than in nearby unlogged forests.Mr. Faison explained that moose are cold-adapted animals that live primarily in northern coniferous forests but range into mixed deciduous forests of southern New England. Following European settlement, moose vanished from southern New England — the result of deforestation and unrestricted hunting. But as forests began to regrow, moose gradually migrated back into their original territories, finally reappearing in southern New England during the 1990s.
Now, for the first time in almost two centuries, the region has two large native herbivores — moose and white-tailed deer.In Connecticut, moose are limited to the state's northern corners where temperatures and forest fragmentation are lowest. Because of southwestern Connecticut's relatively high temperatures, limited conifer forest cover, and extensive forest fragmentation, moose are unlikely to expand their range south into Redding and surrounding towns.Mr. Faison's colleagues include Stephen DeStefano, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, and David Foster, director of the Harvard Forest in Petersham, Mass. Mr. Foster is also the board chair of Highstead, a natural area and nonprofit organization in Redding dedicated to ecological research and conservation, including a leadership role in the Wildlands and Woodlands Initiative.
This regional collaborative works to double the pace of conservation of New England's forested and natural landscapes in order to permanently protect their irreplaceable ecological, economic, and cultural values.The researchers believe their study in northern Connecticut and central Massachusetts is the first on the effects of combined deer and moose browsing in North America.Begun in 2007, the scientists have employed a novel approach to study logged, disturbed forests with nearby undisturbed forests. In each, they examine the vegetation in three areas: fenced to exclude moose and deer, partially fenced to exclude only moose, and unfenced to allow both species access
.This past May, Mr. Faison summarized the results of the study at the North American Moose Conference in New Hampshire. The combination of moose and deer browsing has reduced the height of the regrowing forest far more than deer browsing alone. Moose and deer have also altered the forest composition due to their preference for different plant species. For instance, heavy browsing has reduced the number of birches, pin cherry, and white ash. However, the commercially valuable white pine and black cherry, which the animals largely avoid, have increased in abundance."Moose are a native species and absolutely belong here," said Mr. Faison. "We will continue this research to help increase our knowledge about moose and forest management, although warming temperatures, sadly, may chase moose back to northern New England in the coming decades."
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