New research, supported in part by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, shines a light on a common, beneficial link between bees and elk. That connection is active forest management.
“Our study broadly suggests that various common forest management practices that influence canopy coverage (e.g., fuel reduction thinning, restoration) and large herbivore densities will likely influence blooming plants and bees,” according to the study authors. “In many cases, forest management may operate synergistically with native bee conservation.”
Researchers from Oregon State University, the U.S. Forest Service and Utah State University head up the Journal of Forestry study, which focuses heavily on native bees and pollinators in the inland Pacific Northwest but also stated,” Surprisingly, the presence of elk was positively associated with bee responses in summer.”
This project is an offshoot from a University of Montana-RMEF study from several years earlier that assessed the effects of different forest management practices on birds, bees and other living organisms.
A 2020 study shows small, natural fires increase plant diversity, which has carryover beneficial impacts for native pollinators.
RMEF is a longtime advocate of active forest management including prescribed burning, which removes dead downfall, pine needles and underbrush while stimulating the growth of native vegetation that benefits elk, deer, small mammals, birds and other animal life, bees included.
(Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)