MacCracken and Viereck estimated browse regrowth and use by moose (Alces alces) two months to two years after a fire in interior Alaska. Browse regrowth was abundant within two months. Regrowth was from root and stump sprouting of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), paper birch (Betula papyrifera), and willows (Salix spp.). Aspen sites produced the most browse followed by white spruce (Picea glauca), birch, and black spruce (Picea mariana). By the third growing season after the fire, seedlings of the three major browse species were present at many sites. Moose foraged in the burn the first winter after the fire. Browse use ranged from 1 to 46% and was greatest on willows. The authors found a significant positive correlation in estimates of browse use when derived from stem counts or biomass sampling. Protein and mineral concentrations in the browse species examined were greatest in 1984 and some nutrients declined significantly. It appears that most nutrients made available by fire are quickly absorbed by resprouting plants, and that this benefit of fire is relatively short-lived compared to the increase in browse biomass.
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