Resource Selection by Cattle on a Semi-Forested Range Tenure in South Central British Columbia

Study periods were defined by seasonal and geographic boundaries to assess selection over two years of GPS tracking data. Models including all explanatory variables were the best-supported across all study periods, indicating a multifaceted relationship between environmental attributes and cattle selection. Selection of range ecotype varied across models, but cattle dominantly selected for deciduous, recently logged, grassland and wet environment range ecotypes.

Cattle avoided steep slopes and areas far from water. Relationships with aspect were varied, and postulated to be explained by the orientation of slopes in close proximity to water sources. In the summer grazing pasture, cattle showed significant selection for all levels of burn severity in the first year of the study, and only low severity burn in the second year.

Continued assessment of burn severity selection may yield valuable information for management of grazing in post-fire ecosystems. These results quantitatively advance the understanding of cattle resource use in the studied range tenure, and will serve evidence-based rangeland management.