Effects of beaver and moose on boreal forest landscapes

The primary objective of the following paper is to examine the effects of two large mammals, beaver (Castor canadensis) and moose (Alces alces), on boreal forest ecosystems. In doing so, the authors illustrate how GIS was an indispensible tool for extrapolating field data to the landscape as a whole, and for deriving landscape ecological relationships which would have been impossible using traditional field methods. Beaver and moose are capable of altering the landscape in a variety of ways. They share the ability to affect forest vegetation through herbivory, and prefer many of the same browse species. However, the spatial distribution of their herbivory differs substantially, and must be taken into account when determining the landscape-level implications of their activities. A GIS can provide this spatial analysis capability. -from Authors