The Effect of Cutting and Burning on Browse Production in Eastern Canadian Aspen Forests

Abstract

A 20-year-old aspen (Populur tremloides Michx.) ecosystem was subjected to two cutting and two burning treatments. Cutting and prescribed burning were carried out on separate areas . One cutting and one burning treatment was aplied both before and after spring leaf flush. An untreated control area was set aside for comparison. Three years after treatment summer and winter aspen browse production for moose (Alcesaices) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were greatest on the preflush cutting treatment (summer — 1544 kg.ha^-1; winter — 395 kgha^-1) followed in decreasing order by post-flush cut (summer — 635 kg.ha^-1; winter — 125 kg.ha^-1), postflush burn (summer — 330 kg.ha^-1; winter — 96 kg.ha^-1), and pre-flush burn (summer — 50 kg.ha^-1; winter — no browsing). Aspen browse quality (nutrient concentration) was essentially unaffected by treatment. Post treatment biomass production of aspen is discussed in terms of known physiological and ecological responses to disturbance.