How do wildlife managers create good browse for moose?
Since moose prefer tender new stems or stems under .5″ in diameter, managers at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge try to maintain a proportion of willow and aspen in early successional stages of growth. This means that younger plants are better than older plants. To encourage younger plants, we use fire in the spring or fall to set back willow and aspen growth. Each year we try to burn 1,000 to 5,000 acres. These fires are started under controlled conditions and are called prescribed fires. The fire kills or damages the plant above the soil, but stimulates new, tender growth from the roots. During the last two years wet conditions have made it difficult to burn; only 450 acres were burned this year. Natural fires have always played an important role in maintaining certain types of ecosystems. Some ecosystems, such as the prairies, need frequent intervals of fire (every 4 to 7 years), while others, such as areas in the Pacific Northwest, may be dependent on a fire interval of every 300 y
