Progress 06/17/05 to 06/17/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: This project has been terminated. The research will continue in RMRS Project 4255-4
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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Progress 10/01/06 to 09/30/07
Outputs
Current experiments are designed to evaluate population responses of wildlife to the spatial and temporal patterns of their habitats, identify the impacts of management practices on distribution and utilization of specific habitats at both the local and landscape level. The studies involve regional and local species of concern (Greater Sage Grouse), sensitive species (Black-backed woodpeckers), and management indicator species (Ruffed grouse as an indicator species for quaking aspen in the Black Hills National Forest). Research has also focused on evaluating population responses and habitat relationships of elk and wild turkey in the Black Hills. This information is being dissminated through "Fact Sheets" prominately displayed the reception area of the Rapid City Forest Service Center, general technical reports, field workshops, and journal articles.
Impacts
The studies have conributed to an increased understanding of the relationships among sensitive species, species of special concern, and management indicator species and various types of natural and anthropogenic disturbances in the northern Great Plains, including the Black Hills of South Dakota. Managers are provided information that is critical to nest success for Greater Sage Grouse. Such information will help mangers develop strategies to preserve the integrity of shrubstepp habitat, and taller residual grass within the sagebrush habitat to maintain a robust and tall grass component in the nesting habitat. Managers are provided with a better understanding of why black-backed woodpeckers, a Rocky Mountain Region Sensitive Species, respond to fires and insects that kill the forest. Aspen is an important deciduous component of the Black Hills forest ecosystem that provide ruffed grouse protection from predators while providing an important winter food. Managers are
developing strategies for increasing the amount of aspen in the Black Hills National Forest and will be monitoring the response of ruffed grouse to increased aspen management.
Publications
- Manual, S., M.A. Rumble, M. Price, T.M. Juntti, and D. Hua. 2006. Comparison of combinations of sighting devices and target objects for establishing circular plots in the field. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Research Paper RMRS-RP-60. 5 pp.
- Lehman, C.P., M.A. Rumbler, and L.D. Flake. 2007. Winter habitat selection patterns of Merriams turkeys in the southern Black Hills, South Dakota. Western North American Naturalist. 67:278-291.
- Rumble, Mark A., Lakhdar Benkobi, R. Scott Gamo. 2007. A different time and place test of ArcHSI: A spatially explicit habitat model for elk in the Black Hills. Research Paper RMRS-RP-64. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 16 p.
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Progress 10/01/05 to 09/30/06
Outputs
Resource manager need information to predict the effects of management on wildlife species. Public attention is focused on those that are highly visible. Elk (Cervus elaphus) are a species of concern throughout the western United States due to their economic importance for consumptive and nonconsumptive use. This study quantified the habitat selection, spatial requirements and factors that affect these aspects of the ecology of elk at multiple scales. At the landscape scale elk were associated with size of area without roads, configuration of meadows, forested stands that also provided forage, and extent of aspen within the coniferous forest. Elk migration patterns were stimulated by snow, but animals remained in highly productive soil types. Areas that contained high densities of roads resulted in greater movements by elk and were correlated with elk needing more area to meet their daily requirements. This knowledge was transferred to a spatially explicit habitat
model for elk. New code was written to make the model user friendly to biologists and adaptable to other areas. It is available as a web based download. Test of the model indicated that obtaining forage was a primary consideration in the habitat selection patterns for elk. Improved surface roads affected elk habitat in a negative manner out to approximately 300 m. Another highly visible and controversial issue in western forests is mountain pine beetle [(MPB), Dendroctonus ponderosae] infestation. Mountain pine beetles are indigenous to western forests, but epidemic levels result in large scale loss of forest resources. Black-backed Woodpeckers (Picoides arcticus), a R2 and R3 Sensitive Species often associated with post-fire forest habitats. This research demonstrated similar population density of Black-backed Woodpeckers areas infested with mountain pine beetle areas as occurred in post-fire areas. Survival of nests within MPB infestations was affected by nesting chronology, length
of time since the nest was initiated, and weather. Selection of nesting territories was influenced by the food resources. MPB are the primary agent providing a food resource for Black backed Woodpeckers directly and indirectly by killing trees that are later inhabited by woodborer beetles (Cerambycidae and Buprestidae), and suitable snags for nesting. Past logging did not influence the nest selection by Black-backed Woodpeckers. Merriam's turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo merriami) are also highly desirable wildlife for consumptive and nonconsumptive users of the forests. Research is isolating the factors that affect populations and their selection of habitats. We developed a quantitative method for determining the likelihood that a hen had initiated a nest. Food resources are a primary factor determining habitat and the observed patterns of habitat selection. Food resources can vary across landscapes within a relatively small region. Food resources and consequently the habitats selected
by turkeys differed in the southern Black Hills from those 32 km north in the central Black Hills. These differences are likely due to soil productivity and precipitation patterns.
Impacts
Much of the controversy regarding forest management results from differing opinions on how forests are managed. Once managers and publics know and understand the dynamics of how wildlife species requirements are met by various forest conditions, some of the controversies can be avoided. The habitat models and quantifying effects of roads on key wildlife species of high public value will provide managers with necessary information to implement the Chief's road policies on National Forest lands. Forest managers charged with managing for the diversity of plant communities can now quantify the benefits for maintaining and managing for particular forest conditions regarding aspen, meadows, and roads. Understanding what forest conditions provide the food resources for various wildlife species will help forest managers and publics understand the need for some forest management practices. The role of mountain pine beetles to the ecology of uncommon Sensitive Species needs
further research. However, the population responses of Black-backed Woodpeckers to stand replacing fires are usually short-lived, whereas the population response of Black-backed Woodpeckers to mountain pine beetle infestations is longer in duration. None-the-less, the disturbance that creates habitat for Black-backed Woodpeckers also destroy the forest. The key will be to find the balance between levels of infestation and maintaining habitat for this Sensitive Species.
Publications
- Bonnot, T. W. 2006. Nesting ecology of Black-backed Woodpeckers in mountain pine beetle infestations in the Black Hills, South Dakota. M.S. thesis. University of Missouri. Columbia, MO.
- Flake, L. D., C. P. Lehman, A. P. Leif, M. A. Rumble, and D. J. Thompson. 2006. The Wild Turkey in South Dakota. SDAES B7474. South Department of Game Fish and Parks, Pierre and South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, Brookings.
- Lehman, C. P., L. D. Flake, M. A. Rumble, R. D. Shields, and Dan J. Thompson. 2005. Pre-incubation movements of female wild turkeys relative to nest initiation in South Dakota. Wildlife Society Bulletin 33:1062-1070.
- Stubblefield, C. H., K. T. Vierling, and M. A. Rumble. 2005. Landscape-scale attributes elk centers of activity in the central Black Hills, South Dakota. Journal of Wildlife Management 70:1060-1069.
- Benkobi, L., M. A. Rumble, C. H. Stubblefield, R. Scott Gamo, and J. J. Millspaugh. 2005. Seasonal migration and home ranges of female elk in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. Prairie Naturalist 37:151-166.
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Progress 10/01/04 to 09/30/05
Outputs
Scientists have refined the Arc Habitat Suitability Index (ArcHSI), which is a geographical information system (GIS) model that estimates the ability of an area to meet the food and cover requirements of an animal species. The components and parameters of the model occur in tables and can be easily edited or otherwise modified. ArcHSI runs on personal computers with the full installation of ArcGIS (Verson 8.2+). ArcHSI is a tool intended to inform planners of the probable impacts on wildlife for the alternatives they develop, and its augments, rather than supplants, the expertise of resources specialist with site-specific knowledge.
Impacts
The application of habitat models in the Rocky Mountain Region of the USDA Forest Service derives from the need to evaluate and document land management alternatives on wildlife in order to comply with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Modeling is a tool that provides a standardized, consistent approach to wildlife management across all levels of an organization. It can provide continuity through changes in personnel and variation in expertise among staff.
Publications
- Juntti, TM., and MA Rumble. 2006. Arc Habitat Suitability Index computer software. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-180WWW. Ft. Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 31p. Available at: http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtrl180.html
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Progress 10/01/03 to 09/30/04
Outputs
The objective of this study was to simultaneously evaluate the impact of leafy spurge on species richness within and among a wide variety of vegetation types typical of the region. This study was conducted in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in southwestern North Dakota. Mean species richness per sampled infested stand was reduced by an average of 51% (P < 0.05) in 7 of the 11 infested associations. Total species richness in infested stands averaged 61% less than species richness within their non-infested counterparts for 10 of the 11 associations sampled. Cumulatively, leafy spurge reduced total species richness between infested and non-infested associations 35% to 47% within floodplain, grassland, and woodland vegetation types. Thirty species common to the majority of the associations were completely absent from infested stands and classified as Sensitive, while 25 were minimally impacted and classified as Persistent Species. The overall effects of leafy spurge on
species richness is complex and probably involves patterns of disturbance in relation to all alien plants in the Park. The objective of this study was to evaluate the micro-scale distribution and dynamics of two species of biological control agents commonly used to control leafy spurge in the Northern Great Plains. Ninety-three permanently located sample sites were established during the 1998 field season within the Mill Iron (Montana) and South Fork of the Moreau River (South Dakota) study areas. Approximately 6,000 beetles (3,000 Aphthona lacertosa and 3,000 A. nigriscutis) were released in June 1998 at each site. Beetle abundance on all sites was estimated using insect sweeps from 1999 through 2003. Species composition and foliar cover of the extant vegetation and leafy spurge cover and density were estimated through six consecutive field seasons. Within one year following introduction, A. lacertosa greatly outnumbered A. nigriscutis on all sites. Beetle numbers increased rapidly
within one year, peaked in 2001, and then decreased 70% the following year. Concomitantly with the increases recorded in beetle abundance, foliar cover of leafy spurge was reduced an average of 75% (range 50% to 100%) by 2002. The diversity, frequency, and abundance of the native vegetation increased significantly within two years following flea beetle release. The reliability of estimating salt content in saturated extracts from 1:5 (1spoil:5water) extract levels for bentonite mine spoil was examined by regression analyses. Nine chemical variables were examined that included pH, EC, Ca, Mg, Na, K, HCO3, SO4, and Cl. Ion concentrations from 1:5 extracts were estimated with high predictability for Ca, Mg, Na, SO4, and HCO3, and EC conductivity. Overall, calculated ion concentrations from 1:5 extracts show significant relationships with saturation extracts, except for Cl and K. The signficant relationships we found suggest that 1:5 extracts can be used to reliably estimate salinity of
bentonite mine spoils with less effort and expense.
Impacts
Leafy spurge is one of the more serious rangeland invasive plants throughout the much of the Northern Great Plains. Information on the impacts of heavy infestations of leavy spurge on plant species richness will increase our understanding of the ecological relationships between invasive and native plants at a variety of spatial scales. Long-term monitoring of biocontrol populations, control of targeted species, and vegetation recovery will enhance our ability to evaluate the efficacy of long-term invasive plant management. Information on the relationships between concentrations of various salts in 1:5 extracts and saturation extracts prepared for the same sample will be useful in interpreting the chemistry of bentonite spoil for a larger area with less time and expense.
Publications
- Butler, JL, and DR Cogan. 2004. Leafy spurge effects on patterns of plant species richness. Journal of Range Management. 305:311.
- Voorhees, ME. and DW Uresk. 2004. Salt content determination for bentonite mine spoil: saturation extracts versus 1:5 extracts. Research Note RMRS-RN-18.
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Progress 10/01/02 to 09/30/03
Outputs
(a)A new model was developed and may not apply uniformly to ponderosa pine forests in the Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota and Northeastern Wyoming. Fire chronologies from over 1000 trees collected at over 50 locations span the past four to six centuries. Surface fire frequency varied from an average of every 10 to 13 years at lower elevation sites on the ponderosa pine - northern Great Plains prairie ecotone to as much as 30 to 33 years at higher elevations. Mid-elevation interior sites at Jewel Cave National Monument burned on average every 20 to 26 years. Fires largely ceased in all areas shortly after Euro-American settlement began in the 1870's. Pre-settlement age structure documents very pulsed patterns of tree establishment, with the most abundant cohort occurring from 1770 to 1805. Thus, the prevailing historical model of frequent surface fires promoting and maintaining mostly open forest stands is largely supported by the tree-ring evidence. (b)The
Great Plains Management Plan was finally signed in winter 2003. It was appealed by a litany of environmental groups. They cite numerous violations of property rights, including adverse grazing practices, prairie dogs, little land for bighorn sheep and not enough area designated for wilderness.(c)Elk (Cervus elaphus) habitat selection was examined May through September in the central Black Hills from 1998-2001. Collared elk (n = 52) concentrated in the upper elevations of the Black Hills, commonly referred to as the Limestone Plateau. Three subpopulations of radio-collared elk were recognized as individual animals stratified into distinct regions. Meadows were used less than expected, but this was attributable to a daytime bias in sampling. In general, elk concentrated in landscapes composed of tree species other than ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) in overstory cover 40% and where road density and traffic volume were reduced. Elk also centered in areas where road patterns left the
largest portion of intact habitat. Intermediate scale (i.e., 250 and 500 m radii buffers) selection patterned that of landscape; elk located where aspen (Populus tremuloides) and white spruce (Pica glauca) co-occurred with pine, in canopy closures at 40%, and where road density was less than indicated by random sampling. At the micro scale, elk (n = 198) sites had significantly greater overstory canopy cover (mean = 49%) and slope (mean = 7%) than random sites (n = 296). Elk bed sites had significantly greater overstory and juniper cover and significantly less herbaceous cover (mean forage = 44%, mean bed = 54%) than forage sites. These studies are ongoing.
Impacts
1) New knowledge in the form of scientific publications available to the public, land managers, and the scientific community and environmentalists, 2) Ecological information from fire, and the elk species, through landscape levels, to land managers for management plans, forest plans, environmental impact assessments and other mandated processes, maintain landscape systems, 3) used in Forest Plans, 4) public benefits more diversity and sustainability of ponderosa pine by fire, 5)information presented at National level to the public for more black tailed prairie dogs, 6) new tools (models) to monitor elk for resource values to obtain optimum management and production, 7) public benefits include more elk and elk habitat. These studies are ongoing.
Publications
- (a)Brown, Peter Mark; Fire, Climate, and forest Structure in Ponderosa Pine Forests of the Black Hills; 2003, Dissertation - Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO
- (b)Thacker, Paul D. 2003. Forest Magazine. The People's Prairie: Broad Horizons, Narrow Views. Summer 2003. (7 pp)
- (c)Harthun-Holte, Cynthia. 2003. A Multi-scale Analysis of Elk Distribution and Habitat Use in the Central Black Hills, South Dakota, Dissertation - south Dakota School of Mines and Technology. (160 pp)
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Progress 10/01/01 to 10/01/02
Outputs
NARRATIVE PROGRESS: A spatial optimization model was formulated to maximize black-tailed prairie dog populations in the Badlands National Park and the Buffalo Gap National Grassland in South Dakota. Choice variables involved the strategic placement of limited additional protected habitat. Population dynamics were captured in formulations that reflected exponential population growth combined with the recalcitrant dispersal behavior of this social mammal. The model results are compared to a previous paper, which modeled requirements of the black-footed ferret, an aggressive disperser that is dependent upon prairie dogs for food and shelter. Spatially correlated data were used to model habitat selection by the black-tailed prairie dog, which congregates in clusters of distinct patches across the relatively homogeneous grasslands. The landscape was divided into 30 m square pixels using measures of habitat quality to model the relationships between presence of prairie dogs
and habitat attributes at the pixel level. A model that accounts for spatial autocorrelation in habitat occupancy, indirectly modeling the social component of habitat selection and providing more precise and unbiased estimates of the effects of habitat variables is needed. Diverse vegetation and complicated land-use history of the Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge presented a unique challenge to mapping vegetation at the plant association level. The project consists of two linked phases: 1) vegetation classification and 2) digital vegetation map production. We sampled representative plots located throughout the 21,950-acre project area. Sixty-one land cover units were developed and 44 vegetation map units matched to corresponding plant associations. The interpreted map data were converted to a GIS database using ArcInfo. The 2,061 polygons delineated were split between Nebraska Sandhills, Northern Mixed Grass Prairie, and Great Plains Wetlands ecological groups. The greatest number of
hectares mapped was Open Water (2150 hectares) and the largest frequency of polygons mapped belonged to Peachleaf Willow Woodlands (164). Field tests showed overall thematic accuracy of 77%. These studies are ongoing.
Impacts
1)New knowledge in the form of scientific publications available to the public, land managers, and the scientific community and environmentalists, 2)workshops and demonstrations that allow transfer of technology and new knowledge, and the opportunity to interact with the public at meetings, schools, state and private agencies, universities and scientific societies, 3)new information to the public through presentations and classes at public schools and universities, and at private, state and federal agencies, 4)ecological information, from species through landscape levels, to land managers for management plans, forest plans, environmental impact assessments and other mandated processes, 5)new tools to monitor plants, wildlife, livestock grazing, timber, and hydrological resource values for optimum management and production, 6)new scientific models to assess and enhance understanding of landscape patterns that influence vegetation and wildlife to make more informed
decisions about factors such as timing and levels of grazing necessary to maintain landscape systems, 7)litigation, 8)used in Forest Plans, 9)public benefits more praire dogs and associated wildlife.
Publications
- Hof, John; Bevers, Michael; Uresk, Daniel W.; Schenbeck, Gregory L. 2002. Optimizing habitat location for black tailed prairie dogs in southwestern South Dakota. Ecological Modelling. 147: 11-21
- Extramural: Butler, Jack; Crawford, Doug; Menard, Shannon, Meyer, Trudy; Cogan, Daniel; Pennell, Jean; Pucherilli, Mike. 2002. Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota 2000-2001 Vegetation Mapping Project. In: Technical Memorandum 8260-02-02. Denver, CO/USA: Remote Sensing and GIS Group, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center: 174
- Cooperative: Belak, Jon R. 2002. Modeling the effects of habitat quality on the black-tailed prairie dog habitat occupancy iusing spatially correlated data. Colorado State University: M.S. Thesis. 117
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