Aspen persistence near the National Elk Refuge and Gros Ventre Valley elk feedgrounds of Wyoming, USA

Authors(s): D. T. Barnett and T. J. Stohlgren

Publication: Landscape Ecology

Publisher:

Publication Date: 0000-00-00

Type:

Location:

Abstract: We investigated aspen (Populus tremuloides) regeneration in the Gros Ventre River Valley, the National Elk Refuge and a small part of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA to see if elk (Cervus elaphus) browsing was as damaging as previously thought. We conducted a landscape-scale survey to assess aspen regeneration across gradients of wintering elk concentrations using 68 randomly selected aspen stands in the 1090 km^2 study area. Forty-four percent of the stands sampled supported some newer regeneration that had reached the canopy. There were no significant differences of regeneration across elk winter range classification (p=0.25) or distance from feedgrounds (p=0.96). However, a multiple linear regression found that the concentration of elk was one of several important predictors of successful aspen regeneration (p=0.005, R^2=0.36). Our results suggest that stand-replacing regeneration occurs across the landscape at a variety of elk densities despite some trends of reduced regeneration under greater elk concentrations. We propose that high spatial and temporal variation and scattered patches of successful aspen regeneration characterize aspen persistence between periods of episodic regeneration and recruitment.

Keywords: National Elk Refuge, Jackson Hole, Teton County, Gros Ventre River, Grand Teton National Park, animal, mammal, ungulate, Cervidae, Cervus elaphus, elk, wapiti, habitat, food , grazing