Annual Fire Return Interval Influences Nutritional Carrying Capacity of White-Tailed Deer in Pine–Hardwood Forests
Annual Fire Return Interval Influences Nutritional Carrying Capacity of White-Tailed Deer in Pine–Hardwood Forests
复制标题
年火灾重现间隔对松阔叶林白尾鹿营养承载能力的影响
DOI：
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发表时间：
2019
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Mark D Smith
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Michael P. Glow;S. Ditchkoff;Mark D Smith
Prescribed fire is a cost-effective habitat management tool in pine stands to enhance the quantity and quality of forage available for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Management recommendations typically suggest a 3- to 5-year burn rotation in mixed pine–hardwood stands to increase quality forage production, but as fire frequency increases, forb and legume biomass increases, and woody browse decreases. A more frequent burn rotation may be a viable management option for deer managers, but there is still a lack of information regarding preferred forage and nutritional carrying capacity response to prescribed fire at these intervals. We measured the production and nutritional quality of forage within mature pine–hardwood stands after a 1- or 2-year fire-return interval during three nutritionally stressful periods for deer on a 640-acre (259-hectare) enclosure located in east-central Alabama during 2014 and 2015. These stands had previously been burned annually for over 15 years, resulting in an abundance of herbaceous vegetation. We then compared forage class biomass, nutritional carrying capacity estimates, and digestible protein between burn treatments. A 1-year fire return interval improved habitat quality to a greater degree than a 2-year fire return interval by increasing the production of forage able to support greater nutritional planes. An annual burn rotation is an effective option for managers to increase protein availability in pine–hardwood stands, but other factors such as decreased cover availability and soft mast production should also be considered.
