Summary:
Published in Forest Ecology and Management 608: 123619
Selective browsing by moose (Alces alces) can substantially alter forest regeneration by reducing the survival and growth of selected species, shifting competitive dynamics and altering stand succession. We investigated (1) whether selective browsing by moose prevents selected species from reaching later growth stages, and (2) whether balsam fir (Abies balsamea) sapling height growth is reduced under various intensities of apical and lateral browsing. During summer 2023, we surveyed 56 balsam fir-dominated stands cut between 2000 and 2015 in the Forêt Montmorency, in Québec, Canada. Browsing strongly influenced seedling density according to the hierarchical generalized linear mixed effects model. Highly selected species at the seedling stage, such as broadleaves, also suffered the greatest decline at sapling stages, suggesting that the selective browsing prevents broadleaves species from reaching the sapling stage. For balsam fir saplings, both apical and lateral browsing additively reduced apparent height growth, with lateral browsing having a comparable effect to apical browsing. Under high apical browsing, apparent height growth declined by a factor of 0.79 [95 % CI= 0.70: 0.90] compared with unbrowsed individuals. Our findings demonstrate that moose browsing not only reshapes species composition but also delays the growth of surviving saplings, highlighting the need to incorporate browsing pressure when predicting forest growth and yield and for ensuring the implementation of adaptive management strategies.
File:
Permanent identifier (DOI):
Sector(s):
Forests, Forêts
Catégorie(s):
Scientific Article
Theme(s):
Forest Dynamics, Forestry Research, Forests
Departmental author(s):
Author(s):
LARUE Hugo, Jean-Pierre TREMBLAY and Martin BARRETTE
Year of publication:
2026
Format:
ISSN:
0378-1127
Keyword(s):
Article scientifique, scientific article, dynamiques forestières, forest dynamics, balsam fir, regeneration, apical stem, lateral browsing, seedling, sapling, succession, sapin baumier, régénération, tige apicale, broutage latéral, semis, jeune plant, succession