Moose Are Damaging Newfoundland's Forests!

The largest mammal in North America is eliminating our forests.

Hello everyone. We thought for the first informative post on invasive species of Newfoundland we would start with the Moose (Alces alces). Moose are a main contributor to Newfoundland tourism and economy. Newfoundland is known for their moose meat and almost guaranteed sighting of moose on trails throughout Gross Morne Nation Park. Therefore explaining the impacts that moose have on various other species here on the island is an important issue to start off with. We will be discussing how moose ended up here on the Island and what their main impacts are. We will also discuss the various management strategies proposed and followed through with for this issue.

These big mammals, though culturally significant to Newfoundlanders, do not belong here. They were actually introduced to the island by humans over 100 years ago (Gosse, 2011). Combined with the fact that wolves – their natural predator – were removed in the 1930s, they have been able to go largely unchecked in the Newfoundland wilds.

Great, right? We don’t think so. Although many hunters love this idea, the truth is that these giants are actually over grazing our forests. They are putting huge pressure on seedlings and saplings on the island, especially balsam fir. Over time there have been some major shifts to the forests of Newfoundland due to this, and a major stress is being put on many other organisms and in some cases even lowering biodiversity in certain areas. For more information on moose and their effects on our forests visit http://www.pc.gc.ca/progs/np-pn/sf-fh/info/1.aspx.

A forest stand destroyed by moose in Gros Morne National Park (©Parks Canada, http://www.pc.gc.ca/progs/np-pn/sf-fh/info/1.aspx)

Moose are an important economic resource in Canada. Moose hunting generates over $500 million in economic activity annually and provides large amounts of food for aboriginal and other rural people. Moose are a major element in the complex of wildlife attractions that draw visitors to parks and other wildlands to view and study nature (http://www.hww.ca/en/species/mammals/moose.html).

The impacts Moose have on the Newfoundland environment are their over grazing of balsam fir seedlings. Long term browsing eliminates firs and hardwoods which changes the density within the forest and therefore alters the composition of the forest. Below is a figure illustrating the pressures on balsam fir due to moose.

Pressure on balsam fir in Newfoundland by moose and other organisms (Goose, 2011).

There is little regeneration that can occur due to over grazing by moose and the aid of other organisms limiting growth and spread of seeds.

There are many options that Parks Canada has considered in managing this event. Therefore reduce the amount of moose present in an ethical manner.

Some options are:

·  •  Do nothing, therefore assume no management and let nature do its part. This is very cheap however; ecological it can be very costly and can result in total extinction of balsam firs to Newfoundland.

·   • Predator re-introduction: This method has many risks and unstable results. It changes the entire food chain and can result in more negative effects than positives, therefore presents more risk than it is worth. They did re-introduce wolves in to Yellowstone and more information is presented in this article, http://www.cof.orst.edu/leopold/papers/ripple.pdf. However, Yellowstone is larger and has a large space can allow for better control of large predatory mammals.

·    • Fertility control: This is a very costly method but has been used in various places in the world however only with small populations due to the costs and effort that needs to be done to make a different in the overall population size, therefore not being the most efficient method of control here in Newfoundland due to our large population size.

·    • Large scale fencing: This would be a great conservation method to keep moose out of sensitive areas. But due to the vast area the fence would need to cover it is too costly. It is also near impossible to effectively fence coasts.

·   • Relocation/translocation: This again is a non-lethal method however it is very stressful to the animal but can be indirectly lethal due to that stress. Also moose easily return to areas they were removed from.

·   • Target Harvesting: This means that a controlled hunt is put in place where so many licences for moose are given out. This management is used in National Parks here in Newfoundland. This method is a good method due to its low costs to manage and it’s non-wastefulness of the species.

Currently, target harvesting is in place, but is way too low to make a difference.

A main approach to management is to understand its effects on the public so Parks Canada did a survey to understand what people think of this method and due to the vast number of people who apply for harvesting licences (>700 people) it seemed like the demand was there (Gosse, 2011).

The public are huge contributors to the management of these animals. Due to the cultural and economic significance of the moose, many are going to want to keep the moose numbers healthy. Now we must figure out the delicate balance that keeps pressure off our forests but keeps moose numbers high enough for hunting.

Therefore we would like to hear what you think of this topic and what strategies would like to see or any other methods that could be useful in the managing of these invasive species. Keep in mind the varying success of some of these strategies outside of Newfoundland, like in Yellowstone National Park.

Works Cited:

Gosse, J. 2011. Degradation of Boreal Forest by Non-Native Herbivores in Newfoundland’s National Parks: Recommendations of Ecosystem Restoration. Natural Areas Journal. 31:331–339

Sether, B. 1983. Life History of the Moose (Alces alces): Fecundity Rates in Relation to Age and Carcass Weight. Journal of Mammalogy. 64:266-276.