Effects of ungulate browsing on forest assisted migration strategies to conserve ecosystem function

Area of Science:

• Forestry science
• Climate change adaptation
• Ecology

Background:

• Climate change necessitates proactive forest management strategies like forest assisted migration (FAM).
• The interaction between climate change, ungulate browsing, and FAM success remains poorly understood.
• White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are significant ungulate browsers impacting forest ecosystems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of ungulate browsing on forest assisted migration (FAM) under climate change scenarios.
• To assess how climate change and deer populations influence the success of FAM in northern Wisconsin.
• To evaluate the effects of FAM and browsing on forest composition and ecosystem services.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the LANDIS-II forest landscape model for simulations.
• Simulated assisted migration and white-tailed deer browsing under various climate futures.
• Analyzed changes in species richness, landscape composition, and forest community types.

Main Results:

• Ungulate browsing significantly reduced species richness and the prevalence of preferred tree species.
• Browsing led to the development of novel forest communities with diminished ecosystem goods and services.
• FAM strategy and climate scenario interacted with browsing effects on landscape dynamics.

Conclusions:

• Managers must consider ungulate browsing impacts when implementing FAM strategies.
• Selecting FAM species less preferred by browsers or employing seedling protection is crucial.
• Mitigating high ungulate populations is essential for successful forest adaptation and sustained ecosystem services.