Elk management in the Northern Region: Considerations in forest plan updates or revisions

National Forests provide a major proportion of the habitats in which elk grow, reproduce, and exist as elements of biological diversity. Forests also provide the basis upon which State management programs depend and provide sites for the public to hunt, view, and otherwise enjoy the elk resource. Individual National Forests can creatively address elk management through habitat effectiveness and elk vulnerability, and yet retain more consistent and cohesive approaches within regional and State boundaries. Emphasis in this report has been placed on process, content, and implementation of new information rather than on numerical standards.