WILDLIFE RESPONSES TO HABITAT MANAGEMENT

Project Methods
The short- (i.e., <10 years) and long-term (i.e., > 10 year to ~40 years) effects of herbivores on aspen communities in Michigan will be evaluated during 2020-2025. Vegetation composition (e.g., density, species occurrence and diversity) and structure (cover, height, basal area) will be quantified using stand-level forest vegetation sampling strategies described by Raymer (2000) in 3 age classes of both bigtooth and quaking aspen stands within replicated (i.e., 3) exclosures and paired areas open to deer and elk browsing in northern lower Michigan. This experimental design represents a total of 18 stands; 9 bigtooth (3 stands of 3 age classes) and 9 quaking aspen (3 stands of 3 age classes).Sites for exclosures and paired areas open to browsing were delineated in regions of the stands that most represented the structure and composition of the respective stand when the project was initiated in 1982 by Dr. Campa. Both the exclosures and paired areas open to browsing are 20m X 20m X 2.4m. Exclosures were constructed in 1982 by Dr. Campa, maintained over time, and assessed periodically for changes in stand characteristics and values to wildlife (e.g. Raymer 2000). Browsing estimates will be conducted within randomly located transects to quantify herbivore use of the current annual growth of aspen and other dominate tree species within each stand (e.g., Campa 1989, Campa et al. 1993). Additionally, GIS software and MDNR databases will be used to quantify landscape metrics that may contribute to some aspen stands being used more extensively than others. Such metrics include distance to thermal cover from aspen communities, nearest road, alternate food source, stand size, time of year when aspen was initially harvested, stand age, and type of cut (conventional clearcut or whole-tree harvested).Eastern massasauga rattlesnakes (neonates, juveniles, adults) will be captured, measured, weighed, PIT-tagged, and telemetered using glue-on transmitters as described by Bailey et al (2011) and Shaffer (2018) and approved by MSU's IACUC (04 Feb 2020; PROTO201900), the MDNR (Threatened and Endangered Species Permit TE #225, 13 Feb 2020), and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (under Dr. Campa's federal permit #TE34563C-0; 14 Apr 2020). Telemetered snakes will be monitored at least twice weekly during the spring-summer field season to quantify spatial and temporal movement patterns in relation to vegetation roadside management practices and resulting vegetation/habitat conditions (Bailey et al 2012, Shaffer 2018). Ultimately, outcomes of this project will be a validated EMR survey protocol to estimate occupancy, estimates of how roadside right-of-way management practices may influence EMR movements, and recommendations for how right-of-way vegetation can best be managed without impacting EMRs.To quantify how habitat suitability and habitat potential models can provide spatiotemporal insights on wildlife habitat, the research team is developing habitat suitability index (HSI) models and habitat potential models for elk on the two public forests and on private lands within the Michigan elk range (1,220 km2) in northeastern lower Michigan. For the public lands models, the team is using state forest compartment inventory data to identify cover types important to elk, and assigned suitability values (0=low, 1=high) to each cover type for elk life requisites (i.e., spring food, winter food, winter thermal cover). Each suitability value will be modified based on stand conditions acquired from state forest inventory records (e.g., stand size, percent canopy closure, age of aspen). For the private land models, satellite imagery is being used to classify cover types and assigned suitability values to cover types for each elk habitat component and modified values based on percent canopy closure for winter thermal cover. Elk habitat potential is being modeled by delineating habitat types by overlaying digital spatial data layers (soils, land-type associations, vegetation) and identifying successional trajectories using habitat classification guides and literature (Felix et al. 2004). Suitability values are assigned to each habitat type for elk habitat component for all forest successional stages: early to late. The highest suitability value of each habitat type's successional stage will determine the habitat potential for each habitat type.To asses the efficacy of using a bovine tuberculosis vaccine on free-ranging white-tailed deer the study design will be developed with replicated sites (i.e., cattle farms in northeastern lower Michigan with livestock production-beef or cattle herds) to include biosecurity best management practices (e.g., fencing around stored feed and water sources, closed gates), deer habitat manipulations conducted under the MDNR's PLAN grant program, vaccination of deer in a radius around farms (see Fischer et al. 2016, Palmer et al. 2014, Lavelle et al. 2015, Dressel 2017) using delivery methods developed and tested by Dressel (2017) using the biomarker Rhodamine B. Replicated, control farms will also be used in the design with a placebo.