January 8, 2002 For Immediate Release

The research is being conducted by Roy Rea, an instructor in the UNBC Forestry program.His study is aiming to determine if the management strategy for controlling the plants intransportation corridors affects their quality as food for moose. For example, does cuttingplants in June produce a higher quality source of moose food than plants cut in September?"Answering that question involves a fairly complicated process," says Roy Rea, who attendedhigh school in Vanderhoof and received degrees from California State University and UNBC."At our research site, we cut strips at different times of the year and we're now analyzinghow moose are responding to the re-growth in those strips. We're measuring how much of there-growth is being eaten, the number of moose tracks in the area, which plants hold theirleaves the longest in the fall, etc. If we find that moose select plants based on the timeof year they are cut, we can apply that knowledge to the maintenance of transportationcorridors."

It's expected that the physical and chemical attributes of re-growing plants influence theattractiveness of plants for moose. Physical characteristics include whether the plant is tallenough to poke through the snow when moose are searching for food in the winter. Plants alsoproduce chemicals when they are cut and both the type and quantity of chemicals may vary whenplants are cut at different times of the year. Some of these chemicals may be harmful toherbivores such as moose.

The project is being funded by ICBC, BC Hydro, and BC Rail. It's expected that some initial research results may be applied to rail and roadside maintenance within two years.