Rangeland Ecology & Management

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QUAKING ASPEN RESPONSE TO MECHANICAL TREATMENT IN SOUTHWEST MONTANA
Author
Payne, Jarrett
Marlo, Clayton
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2015
Body

Land managers concerned with declining aspen cover at the Lutz Farm near Bozeman, Montana studied aspen stand response to mechanical treatment as an alternative to prescribed fire. All aspen stands rated as “poor” with browsing dieback present in all monitored stands. Mature trees were clear-cut on one decadent aspen stand to evaluate if mechanical treatment stimulated sucker growth. A game camera and double electric fence measuring 45 feet by 90 feet was established on the clear-cut stand to evaluate livestock and wildlife browse use on aspen stems. A comparison of two means (?=.05) was used to evaluate browse impacts on stem heights between the fenced and the unfenced portion of the clear-cut in 2013 and 2014. The clear-cut fenced portion had significantly higher stem heights than the unfenced clear-cut stems in both years (?=.027 in 2013 and ?=<.01in 2014). A comparison of two means (?=.05) was used to evaluate the total stem heights of the clear-cut's fenced and unfenced portion to each of the untreated aspen stands total stem heights. The protected clear-cut had significantly higher total stem heights both years than the two untreated aspen stands (?<.01). Results suggest mechanical treatment may be a useful alternative to regenerate decadent aspen stands in southwest Montana. However, wildlife and livestock browsing must be deferred on newly regenerated aspen for successful recovery. Electric fencing can provide the necessary temporary protection for aspen suckers to reach a height of two meters to escape browsing.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Sacramento, CA