| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4506977 | Crop Protection | 2008 | 10 Pages |
Forest and agricultural crops periodically experience feeding damage from herbivorous rodents such as voles of the genera Microtus and Clethrionomys. This problem has a long history, which needs a management solution that is both economically and ecologically viable. This study tested the hypothesis that large-scale (6–16 ha) application of diversionary food would reduce vole-feeding damage to newly planted trees. Four overwinter Experiments (A, B, C, and D) were conducted with long-tailed vole (Microtus longicaudus) populations in new forest plantations of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and interior spruce (Picea glauca×Picea engelmannii) near Golden, British Columbia, Canada, from 2003 to 2007. Diversionary food “pucks” were composed of Douglas-fir bark mulch and alfalfa (Medicago sylvatica) pellets/meal mixed with canola (Brassica rapa) oil and wax. Mean percentage (±SE) survival of trees was similar (P=0.18) between control (72.6±11.8) and food (86.2±8.7) sites in Experiment A. Experiment B had intensive feeding by voles and near exhaustion of the food supply in three of five replicates, with no statistical difference (P=0.11) between control and treatment sites. This pattern continued in Experiment C with total tree survival appearing highest (P=0.06) in the intermediate puck density. Mean (±SE) percentage survival of total trees was significantly (P=0.05) higher in food (85.0±6.3) than control (62.5±14.3) sites in Experiment D. Despite these variable results, in those experimental units with substantial feeding pressure by voles and a sufficient overwinter supply of diversionary food, tree survival was 20–25% higher in food than control sites. If food can help maintain sufficient trees on a site and it is required for only one or two winters, diversionary feeding may be an economical and ecological solution to this significant reforestation problem.
