The George River caribou herd in Quebec increased in size from the 1960's to the late 1980's before the population decreased to normal levels again in the early 1990's. Disturbances from over-grazing and trampling greatly affected the vegetation on the herd's summer range, and this study found that disturbed sites had reduced vegetative cover, and contained more plants of earlier successional stages than undisturbed sites. Since the population decline in the 1990's, some recovery has occurred and the vegetation cover contains more trampling and grazing resistant species in disturbed areas, as compared to the previous vegetation cover that is found on undisturbed sites, a late successional continuous Cladina carpet. Recovery of the George River caribou herd's summer habitat is still just beginning, however, areas with a more diverse vegetation cover, with the presence of both early and late succession plants, may be less vulnerable to future disturbances.
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