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An Analysis of Trees Marked by Black Bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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An Analysis of Trees Marked by Black Bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 6-1979 An Analysis of Trees Marked by Black Bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Thomas L. Burst University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Animal Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Burst, Thomas L., "An Analysis of Trees Marked by Black Bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1979. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/3258 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Thomas L. Burst entitled "An Analysis of Trees Marked by Black Bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Master of Science, with a major in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. Michael R. Pelton, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Boyd L. Dearden, Edward E. C. Clebsch, Ellis S. Bacon Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Thomas L. Burst entitled "An Analysis of Trees Marked by Black Bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park." I recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, with a major in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. � \�\;,��� \<._,x�� Michael R. Pelton, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: 1J!:!f;;u� Accepted for the Council: Vice Chancellor Graduate Studies and Research ) lhe�1S l9 .1>�18 cop.2 AN ANAL YSIS OF TREES MARKED BY BLACK BEARS IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTA INS NATIONAL PARK A Thes is Pres ented fo r the Mas ter of Science Degree The University of Tennessee , Knoxville Thomas L. Burst June 1979 AC KNOWLEDGMENTS I woul d like to express my grati tude to Dr. Michael R. Pelton , Associate Professor of Fores try, Wildl ife and Fisheries, The University of Tennessee, under wh ose guidance th is study was conducted . I am also grateful to Dr. Ellis S. Bacon , Dr. Edward E. C. Clebsch , and Dr. Boyd L. Dearden who served on my committee . Appreciation is extended to fel low students , especially Thomas C. Eagl e, David L. Ga rs hel is, and Kenneth G. Johnson, fo r thei r as sistance . Other students , too numerous to name , also assisted wi th the study. This study was financed by Mcinti re-Stennis Project No . 12 of the Ag ricultural Experiment Station and Department of Forestry, Wi ldl ife and Fisheries, The University of Tennessee , Knoxville, and partial ly by the Great Smoky Mountains Natural History As sociation. ii ABSTRACT With the study area for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park , 691 black bear ( Urs us americanus) mark trees were located. Mark trees along 135 km of preselected index trails were tagged, physiognomi c parameters around the trees measured, and characteri stics of the tree and mark recorded. Trees along the index trai ls were reobserved periodical ly from Apri l to December, 1976-1 977 , to monitor fresh marking. Additional mark trees located away from manmade trai ls were characteri zed and classifi ed as to their position on the slope . Multi variate analyses on an around mark tree were attempted to further del ineate the re lationship between environmental parameters and marking. Al l mark trees were found near some type of trail. Marks on trees generally faced the trail and up the slope . The marks were centered at approximately 1.6-1 .7 m above the ground. Eight coni ferous and 26 hardwood species were marked. The choice of species apparently reflects their availability in areas of high bear use. Most mark trees were located along abandoned trai ls and ridge tops . Most fresh marking occurred during May , June , and July, but some fresh marks were observed during al l portions of the year in which the bears were active . Thi rty-one percent and 23% of the mark trees along index routes were marked fresh during 1976 and 1977, respectively. The incidence of fresh marking from year to year or location to location may be useful as an index to population density. The form and function of bear marking was discussed and hypotheses were proposed. None of the di scussed functions could be disproved and the data indicated that marking.by bears has more than one function. A comparison of bear iii iv marking with scent gland marking in other mammal s demonstrated a close resemblance of thei r respective characteristics . Stepwi se regression and discriminant function analysis indicated that physiognomi c parameters affected both the time of year trees were marked and wh ich trees were marked to a measurable extent. This study establi shes basel ine data for further investigations into the role of marking in the natural history of the bl ack bear. TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION PAGE I. INTRODUCT ION . 1 II. STUDY AREA . 5 I I I. METHODS AND MATERIALS .. 10 Defi nitions .... 10 Data Col l ection .... 10 Analytical Methods .. 15 IV . RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 18 Description of Ma rk Trees 18 Distribution in Space . 30 Marking Patterns . 37 Amount . 37 Management Impl ication . 39 Periodicity . ..· . 40 Form and Function .. 40 Mechanics of Marking . ... 40 Function .................. 42 Multi vari ate and Multiple Regression Analyses 46 Factor Analys is . 46 Predi ction of Time of Marking ....... 52 Discrimi nation between Current and Old Trees 55 Synthesis of the Mul ti vari ate Analyses 61 V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 62 LITERATURE CITED 64 APPENDIX 68 VITA .. 80 v LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Forest Assoc iati ons and Their Important Tree Species in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . • . 8 2. Length of Trail , Length of Trail Types, and Elevati on Extremes fo r Index Routes in the Great Smoky Mounta ins National Park . • . • . 12 3. Identification of Variables Meas ured around Ma rk Trees on Index Routes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . 13 4. Identi fication of Variabl es Measured on and around the Intensively Sampl ed Mark Trees in the Great Smoky Mountains National Pa rk . 16 5. Location of Bl ack Bear Marks and Ma rk Trees along Index Routes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with Respect to the Trail and Sl ope . 19 6. Number of Fresh Marks by Tree Class for Each Index Route Period duri ng 1977 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park 29 7. Frequency of Bl ack Bear Mark Trees along Different Search and Trail Types in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park 31 8. Test Resul ts of the Comparison of Mark Tree Frequency by Different Search and Trail Types in the Great Smoky Mountains National Pa rk . 33 9. Test Resul ts of the Comparison of Mark Tree Frequency by Different Trail Types fo r Index Routes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . 34 10. Number and Pe rcentage of Fresh Marks Found Each Index Route Pe ri od, with Cumulative Total s fo r 1976 and 1977 in the Great Smoky Mounta ins National Park . 38 11. A Comparison of the Characteristics of Bear Marking with the Marking Characteristics of Other Mammal ian Species . 43 12. Factor Pattern Matrix Giving Correlations between Variables and Factors after Nearly Orthogonal Rotation of the Factor � Axi s. 48 13. Factor Pattern Matri x Giving Correlations between Variables and Factors after Nearly Orthogonal Rotation of the Factor Axis . 50 vi vii TABLE PAGE 14. Eigenval ues and Percentage of Variation Explained by the Factors Resulting from Factor Analysis of 17 Selected Variables Measured around the 78 Intensively Sampled Mark Trees . 51 15. The Be st 11 Variables, Their b Values, and the Probability of No Linear Rel ationship for Each Vari abl e, as Ascertained by Stepwise Regression for the Time of Ma rking . 53 16. The Best 5 Variables, Their b Values, and the Probability of ·No Linear Relationship for Each Variabl e, as Ascertained by Stepwise Regression for the Time of Marking . .. 54 17. Stepwise Regression Model fo r Discriminant Function Analysis of Current and Ol d Mark Trees Us ing 22 Variables . 57 18. Number of Trees Classified as Re-Marked and Not Re-Marked Ba sed upon Fiel d Observations and Discrimi nant Function Analysis Using 22 Vari abl es . 58 19. Number of Trees Cl assified as Re-Marked and Not Re-Marked Based upon Fiel d Observations and a Discriminant Function Analys is Using 3 Variables . 58 20. The Mean, Standard Deviation, Minimum Measurement, Maximum Measurement { em ) , and Sample Size of Ma rk Tree and Mark Parameters by Species in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . 69 21. Frequency of Ma rk Trees and Fresh Ma rks by Species for 1975, 1976, and 1977 along Index Routes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . 73 22. The Mean, Standard Deviation, Minimum Measurement, Maximum Measuremen�and Sample Size of Parameters at Ma rk Trees in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . 77 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1.
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