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Reproduced with Permission of the Copyright Owner. Further Reproduction Prohibited Without Permission MASTER'S THESIS M-1597 PEGAU, Robert Elwyn REINDEER RANGE APPRAISAL IN ALASKA. University of Alaska, M.S., 1968 Agriculture, forestry and wildlife University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. REINDEER RANGE APPRAISAL IN ALASKA A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE By Robert E. Pegau, B.S. College, Alaska May, 1968 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. REINDEER RANGE APPRAISAL IN ALASKA APPROVED: ■ t) T7 T U^V, Chairman 'c& idszCjA. ft. 4k&4n— Department Head APPROVED I T^Aw-a- DATE:. Dean of the College of Biological Sciences and Renewable Resources Vice President for Research and Advanced Study Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Several methods of evaluating reindeer ranges were tested on Nunivak Island and the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. Aerial photographs or an aerial-visual method similar to those used in Sweden can be used to ascertain the boundaries and per cent composition of the various vegetation types on reindeer ranges. Weight estimate or double­ sampling weight methods can be used to determine the forage produc­ tion of each vegetative type. The line point and 3/4 inch loop are not reliable for evaluating trend on tundra vegetation because the displacement of the line 1/4 inch or more often causes a different species to be recorded at the same sampling point. Exclosures and permanent sample plots in which estimates of weight are recorded, supplemented with photographs, are recommended for range condition and trend studies. The average annual linear growth of Cladonia alpestris, (A rangiferina, and C_. sylvatica on the Seward Peninsula was found to be 5.0, 5.3, and 5.4 mm respectively. Although there is no apparent selection of particular species of lichens during the winter by reindeer,' in the spring and summer the lighter-colored, fruticose Cladonia and Cetraria types are preferred. On summer ranges, where lichens comprise 30% of the available forage, at least 15% of the lichens should be considered unavailable because of trampling. By grazing only the top 1/3 of the lichen podetia in the dwarf shrub-lichen stands near Nome, it is calculated that 1,020 reindeer can be wintered per 100 acres during a 30 to 50 year period, compared to 192 if the lichens are completely grazed the first time. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This study was financed by the Bureau of Land Management. I wish to sincerely thank the following persons for their assistance during this study and in the preparation of the manuscript. Dr. David R. Klein, Leader, Alaska Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, for initiating the project, and his continued advice and support throughout the project and critical reading of the thesis. David 0. Scott, Jr., who spent many of his own hours assisting me in numerous ways. Jerry Wickstrom, Bureau of Land Management; Lee Ellis and Dick Birchell, Bureau of Indian Affairs; and John Burns, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, for their assistance. Johnson Stalker and Raymond Brown for helping when I used the Model Herd rein­ deer. For identifying several plant specimens, I wish to thank Dr. John W. Thomson, lichens; Dr. Howard A. Crum, mosses; Dr. George W. Argus, willows; and Dr. Stanley L. Welsh, vascular plants. Dr. Bonita J. Neiland and Dr. Frederick C. Dean for preliminary reading of the thesis. A special thanks to my wife, Dorothy, and the kids for their assistance and patience. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION .................................................. 1 VEGETATION Arctic Vegetation in General .............................. 5 Vegetation Types on Reindeer Ranges in Alaska .............. 6 Forest Types ............................................ 7 White Spruce-Tall Shrub .............................. 7 White Spruce-Alaska Birch-Shrub ...................... 8 Alaska Birch-Shrub......................» . 8 Tall Shrub-Herb Types .................................... 8 Willow-Herb .......................................... 8 Alder-Herb ............................................ 9 Birch . .............................................. 9 Birch-Willow.................... .................. 10 Dwarf S h r u b s ........ - .................................... 10 Dwarf Shrub-Lichen...................................... 10 Four-Angled Heather-Mosses............... 11 Alpine Bearberry-Rhododendron ..... .............. 11 Dryas Fell-Fields...................................... 12 Grassland-Forb .......................................... 13 Beach-Elvmus . ........................................ 13 Grass T u s s o c k .......................................... 13 Calamagrostis-ArctagrostisGrassland ................... 13 R u d e r a l .................................................14 Sedge M a r s h .................................... 14 Eriophorum Tussock .................................... 14 Eriophorum-Carex-Dwarf Shrub Meadow ................... 14 Sedge-Sphagnutn- M o s s .................................... 15 Rock Desert.................................................15 Rock-Foliose Lichens .................................. 15 VEGETATION SAMPLING METHODS USED IN OTHER COUNTRIES Canada.........................................................16 On Reindeer R a n g e s .........................................16 On Caribou Ra n g e s...........................................16 On Musk Ox Ra n g e s.......................... 20 Sweden........................................................ 20 Grading and Quality........................................ 21 E x c l o s u r e s.................................................22 Aerial Surveying ........................................ 23 USSR .......................................................... 26 Composition and Forage Production ........................ 26 Aerial M e t h o d s .............................................28 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Page VEGETATION SAMPLING METHODS TESTED Botanical Composition and Cover ............................ 29 Point M e t h o d ...............................................29 Line I n t e r c e p t ........................ .................. 35 Cover Estimates.............................................36 Forage P r o d u c t i o n ............ ........... 37 Weight-Estimate Method .................................. 38 Double-Sampling M e t h o d ............. 40 Lichen Growth Rates ...................................... 46 Range Condition and T r e n d .................................... 52 Line-Point (Modified 3-Step Method) ........ „ 52 Charting . ........................................ 58 E x c l o s u r e s ......................... ..................... 59 Photography.......................................... 61 METHODS RECOMMENDED FOR USE ON ALASKAN REINDEER RANGES C o v e r ...................................... 62 Forage Production .......................................... 63 Range Condition and T r e n d .................................... 65 Transect Lines .......................................... 65 Exclosures . 65 REINDEER AND THE RANGE Seasonal Forage Preferences ................................ 70 Chemical Analysis of Important Forage Plants ................ 74 Effect of Trampling and Grazing ............................ 78 Succession in Tundra Vegetation ............................ 83 Dwarf Shrub-Lichen.........................................84 Drvas Fell-Fields...........................................87 Hagemeister I s l a n d .................... 88 Conclusions.................................................89 Management Recommendations .................................. 89 LITERATURE CITED .............................................. 95 APPENDIXES ...................................................... 105 vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Average differences and computed t: value of paired observations from the same line-point transect using three different methods of recording composition...............33 2. Mean weight, standard error, coefficient of variation on clipped and estimated plots, and corrected means. Optimum ratio of clipped to estimated plots for the most important species double-sampled...................................... 42 3. Average annual linear growth rate of Cladonia alnestris, C. raneiferina. and C. svlvatica on the Seward Peninsula. 50 4. Average annual linear growth rate of Cladonia alpestris, and C 0 raneif erina in different regions..................... 50 5. Palatability of certain lichens during the spring and summer near Nome.............................................73 6. Chemical composition and caloric content of important reindeer forage plants near Nome............................ 76 7. Winter grazing capacity of the same pasture near Nome by two methods of herding in the dwarf shrub-lichen type . r 92 B-l. The mean number of hits and coefficient of variation using three methods of recording on line-point transects
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