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Timber
Damage by Black Bears:
Approaches to Control the Problem
Managers should consider all options when developing a management plan to reduce damage caused by bears stripping trees in the spring. A combination of methods will probably be needed for animal damage managers to meet their objectives while maintaining viable wildlife populations. Removing bears can stop immediate problems and reduce problems over the long term. Fewer bears will peel fewer trees. Lower populations reduce competition for alternative foods.
Silvicultural practices can play a role in managing this problem. Delaying thinning or maintaining higher stocking rates may reduce the number of trees that bears strip. Pruning trees also appears to reduce damage. Stand improvements, such as thinning or fertilizing, increase the potential for damage. Altering silvicultural practices may encourage bears to feed elsewhere, but will not stop them from stripping trees.
Providing bears an alternative food may reduce damage to timber resources, but will not eliminate it. Even with supplemental feeding, extensive damage may occur on some sites. Other proposed approaches to reduce the number of trees stripped by bears are impractical for timber plantations.
Bear management that protects timber resources is often controversial. Managers need to consider economics and the ecological and social implications of any action before implementing management plans to reduce the damage caused by bears.
Dale L. Nolte is the project leader at the Olympia Field Station of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center. He earned a Ph.D. in foraging ecology from Utah State University.
Kimberly Wagner is a environmental coordinator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Wildlife Services. She earned a Ph.D. in wildlife damage management from Utah State University’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.
Andy Trent is a project engineer at MTDC. He received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Montana State University in 1989. Before coming to the center in 1996, Andy worked as a civilian engineer for the U.S. Department of the Navy. Andy works on projects in the reforestation and nurseries, forest health protection, and watershed, soil, and air programs.
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Andy Trent