uid=HFR,o=lter,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org all public read doi:10.6073/pasta/20be119f3f072d95b967b859ec4955b1 Edward Faison Stephen DeStefano David Foster https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1171-3762 2023 English

Large herbivores are important forest disturbances capable of altering community composition, biodiversity, tree density, successional pathways, and nutrient cycling. The extent to which browsers exert important impacts on forests, however, depends on the intensity and duration of browsing, the palatability and tolerance of the vegetation, available resources to plants, and the scale at which these factors are being investigated. Few studies have examined ungulate impacts at the landscape scale. Since the late-1980s moose have recolonized their pre-historical range in southern New England, joined white-tailed deer to create a potentially important new driver of forest dynamics in the region. Few, if any, studies have looked at combined deer and moose impacts on temperate forests in eastern North America. In the summer of 2010, we initiated a landscape-scale observational study on ungulate habitat use and browsing on foundation tree species (Quercus spp. and Tsuga canadensis) in unlogged forests. Seventy-two forest plots were sampled across several ecoregions in central and western Massachusetts, southern Vermont and New Hampshire and northern Connecticut. Tree seedlings, overstory characteristics, browsing, pellet piles, and shrub densities were sampled; and site attributes such as mean annual temperature and forest fragmentation were examined.

browsing deer herbivory moose regeneration seedlings LTER controlled vocabulary populations LTER core area Harvard Forest HFR LTER USA HFR default

This dataset is released to the public under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 (No Rights Reserved). Please keep the dataset creators informed of any plans to use the dataset. Consultation with the original investigators is strongly encouraged. Publications and data products that make use of the dataset should include proper acknowledgement.

Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal https://spdx.org/licenses/CC0-1.0.html CC0-1.0 https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf242 Central New England. Coordinates based on WGS84 datum. -73.06 -71.35 +42.888 +41.950 60 556 meter 2010 2010 genus Alces species alces moose genus Odocoileus species virginianus white-tailed deer genus Quercus species spp. oak genus Tsuga species canadensis hemlock complete Information Manager Harvard Forest

324 North Main Street Petersham MA 01366 USA

(978) 724-3302 hf-im@lists.fas.harvard.edu Harvard Forest

324 North Main Street Petersham MA 01366 USA

(978) 724-3302 (978) 724-3595 https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu

A 20 x 20 meter plot was established at each site. All trees at least 2.5 cm DBH were measured and recorded. Each tree stem was assessed for bark stripping, antler scrapes; small stems broken and browsed by moose were noted. A 5 x 5 grid of 25 (4m2) subplots was established in the center of each 20 x 20 m plot. All oak and hemlock seedlings at least 30 cm less than 2.5 cm DBH were tallied, and stems were assigned to the following height classes: 30-99cm; 1-2m; 2-3m, and greater than 3m. Each stem was assessed for the presence/absence of past ungulate browsing (a torn, ragged stem characteristic of deer and moose herbivory). In addition, red maple saplings 30 cm – 3m in height were assessed for past browsing and used as a standardized index of browsing pressure at each site. A maximum of 15 red maple stems were assessed at each site. Shrubs at least 1 m in height were tallied and identified at each of the 25 m subplots. The two most abundant herb species across the 20 x 20 m area were noted. Deer and moose pellet groups were sampled across the entire 20 x 20 m plot using 10, 2 x 20 m strip plots.

Harvard Forest

324 North Main Street Petersham MA 01366 USA

(978) 724-3302 (978) 724-3595 https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu https://ror.org/059cpzx98 pointOfContact The Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program examines ecological dynamics in the New England region resulting from natural disturbances, environmental change, and human impacts. National Science Foundation LTER grants: DEB-8811764, DEB-9411975, DEB-0080592, DEB-0620443, DEB-1237491, DEB-1832210. hf242-01-plots.csv plots hf242-01-plots.csv 3250 7c5bc86f27a7afb7f87bca4d39ee5365 1 \r\n column , https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p24/hf242/hf242-01-plots.csv plot.name plot name plot name NA missing value date.sampled date that plot was sampled YYYY-MM-DD 1 day NA missing value latitude latitudinal coordinates of plot location degree 0.000001 real NA missing value longitude longitudinal coordinates of plot location degree 0.00001 real NA missing value aspect longitudinal coordinates of plot location degree 1 real NA missing value slope incline of the plot in degrees degree 1 real NA missing value 72 hf242-02-trees.csv trees hf242-02-trees.csv 167449 a6899846cf7d0b9025e37ce5cacd0330 1 \r\n column , https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p24/hf242/hf242-02-trees.csv plot.name plot name plot name NA missing value species tree species or genus name tree species or genus name NA missing value dbh diameter at breast height (≥2.5 cm) centimeter 0.1 real NA missing value alive whether stem was alive or dead 0 dead 1 alive NA missing value antler.scrape stem with bark rubbed off by rubbing of antlers 0 no 1 yes NA missing value bark.strip stem with vertical teeth marks from moose or deer 0 no 1 yes NA missing value stem.broken stem pulled down and snapped by browsing moose 0 no 1 yes NA missing value 4683 hf242-03-seedlings.csv oak and hemlock seedlings hf242-03-seedlings.csv 17104 cb90ebc76d423e7788646f772afada75 1 \r\n column , https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p24/hf242/hf242-03-seedlings.csv plot.name plot name plot name NA missing value species tree species or genus name tree species or genus name NA missing value height.class height of seedling 1 0.30-0.99 m 2 1-1.99 m 3 2-3 m 4 >3 m NA missing value browsed sign of past browsing on any part of stem 0 no 1 yes NA missing value lead.browsed leading shoot of seedling browsed 0 no 1 yes NA missing value origin origin seed stem grown from a seed sprout stem is a basal or seedling sprout NA missing value browsed.dead stem dead with signs of browsing 0 no 1 yes NA missing value 461 hf242-04-pellets.csv pellet groups hf242-04-pellets.csv 939 838d1d931eba5aae82505c046d230677 1 \r\n column , https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p24/hf242/hf242-04-pellets.csv plot.name plot name plot name NA missing value deer number of white-tailed deer pellet groups (defined as at least 15 individual pellets) in 400m2 plot number 1 whole NA missing value moose number of moose pellet groups (defined as at least 15 individual pellets) in 400m2 plot number 1 whole NA missing value 72 hf242-05-browse.csv red maple browse hf242-05-browse.csv 5134 1df2458343d0ba13593d19e12e2558a2 1 \r\n column , https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p24/hf242/hf242-05-browse.csv plot.name plot name plot name NA missing value browsed sign of past browsing on any part of red maple seedling between 30 cm and 3 m in height 0 no 1 yes NA missing value lead.browsed leading shoot of red maple seedling browsed 0 no 1 yes NA missing value 423 hf242-06-shrubs.csv shrubs hf242-06-shrubs.csv 7804 535a987860ad3a7a4118a699e8ab437c 1 \r\n column , https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p24/hf242/hf242-06-shrubs.csv plot.name plot name plot name NA missing value species shrub species or genus; “Unk” = unknown species shrub species or genus; “Unk” = unknown species NA missing value tally total number of individual stems ≥1 m in height in the 25, 4m2 subplots number 1 whole NA missing value 274 hf242-07-herbs.csv herbs hf242-07-herbs.csv 3388 34bb012af5b2748424889abb75629311 1 \r\n column , https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p24/hf242/hf242-07-herbs.csv plot.name plot name plot name NA missing value herb1 most abundant herb species or genus in plot; graminoid = unknown grass or sedge; unk = unknown forb most abundant herb species or genus in plot; graminoid = unknown grass or sedge; unk = unknown forb NA missing value herb2 second most abundant herb species or genus in plot; graminoid = unknown grass or sedge; unk = unknown forb second most abundant herb species or genus in plot; graminoid = unknown grass or sedge; unk = unknown forb NA missing value 72 conservation community regional short-term measurement https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf115 https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf174 https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf203 https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf201