INLAS Elk Vulnerability Module

1. INLAS Elk Vulnerability Module Issue: Harvest prescriptions require roads and modify forest cover. Increased road density and decreased cover each can increase elk harvest rate (i.e., elk vulnerability to harvest), thereby lowering hunter opportunity (i.e., tag sales), and related economic benefit. Consequently, there is a need to show how management prescriptions affect elk vulnerability over the short and long term and to show that prescriptions can be modified to optimize the combined economic benefit of restoration forestry and elk hunting over time. Research Questions: What is the current vulnerability of elk to harvest in the INLAS demo area, and what was its historical range of variation? How do various levels of road and cover modification influence elk vulnerability? How can management prescriptions be altered to optimize the economic benefit derivedfrom forest restoration and elk hunting? Approach: Elk harvest rate can be predicted given hunter:elk ratio, topography, forest cover, and open-road density. Influences of varied land management on hunting opportunity can be evaluated in the context of elk population goals. Economic benefits from elk and timber can be optimized in terms of Net Present Value (NPV) using production possibilities frontier (PPF) logic. Expected Outputs: (1) assessment of how land management strategies influence elk harvest rates, hunting opportunity, and economic benefits of elk hunting; and (2) assessment of the economic relationbetween elk hunting and fuels management over time. Contact:Bob Riggs (541-962-2046, robert_riggs@bc.com)