• Eschholz, William E.
  Graduate School, University of Maine
  

Forestland in northern Maine is typically treated with the herbicide glyphosate several years after harvest. This treatment reduces hardwood regeneration, the primary winter food of moose (Alces alces), and therefore may negatively affect moose populations in the state. There is a possibility that glyphosate may eventually improve browse and cover conditions for moose as the stand develops (compared to untreated clearcuts). I tested this hypothesis by studying the effects of glyphosate application on moose activity and winter cover characteristics at 2 stages of stand development: 1 and 2 years post-treatment and 7-10 years post-treatment. In general, moose activity was greater on older clearcuts than the younger clearcuts, likely because of greater protective cover (conifer stems >2m) on the older sites. These results suggest that glyphosate treatment reduces the suitability of recently treated stands for foraging and bedding activity , but that glyphosate treatment improves foraging and bedding habitat later in stand developmenE (7-10 years post-treatment).