Nutritional Quality and Tannin Astringency of Browse in Clear-Cuts and Old-Growth Forests

We compared nutritional quality and morphology of 4 browse forages of black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) and Roosevelt elk (Cervus elaphus roosevelti) in clear-cuts and oldgrowth forests on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington. Browse in old-growth forests had a greater proportion of leaves, was more succulent, and had higher percent crude protein than browse in clear-cuts. There was no consistent pattern of difference in fiber content and digestibility between forest types. Tannin astringency was greater in clear-cuts than in old growth. Because tannins decrease digestible protein (DP), DP was more available in shrubs grown in old growth than in clear-cuts; little DP was available to cervids browsing in clear-cuts. Retention of patches of old growth in the Pacific Northwest will provide optimum year-round habitat for cervid foraging. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 54(4):557-566 Vegetation development following clear-cut logging in the Pacific Northwest includes a shortlived period (3-5 yrs) dominated by grasses and forbs, followed by a longer period (10-15 yrs) dominated by shrubs (Long and Turner 1976, Irwin and Peek 1979). Biomass of cervid forage following timber harvest often exceeds that of midto late-seral stages (Wallmo and Schoen 1980, Witmer et al. 1985). Because of increased forage production following overstory removal, clear-cut logging has been long considered a beneficial tool for managing habitats of blacktailed deer and Roosevelt elk in the Pacific