Female American Black Bear Use of Managed Forest and Agricultural Lands in Coastal North Carolina

• Published in: Ursus (International Association for Bear Research and Management) 2003-01, Vol.14 (2), p.188-197
• Main Authors: Jones, Mark D., Pelton, Michael R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural management; Bears; Black bears; Coastal forests; Coniferous forests; Food crops; Forest habitats; Forest management; Habitat preferences; Habitat Relationships; Telemetry
• ISSN: 1537-6176; 1938-5439

American black bear use of intensively managed forestry and agricultural environments in the southeastern United States is poorly understood. During 1992-94, we radiomonitored female black bears (Ursus americanus) to determine home range and habitat use characteristics in 2 managed agroforestry environments in the North Carolina coastal plain. These areas represented opposite ends of the land-management spectrum. The Big Pocosin (BP) area was dominated by loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations and human activity and development. The Gum Swamp (GS) area contained larger and more numerous remnants of unmanaged forests including bottomlands, mixed hardwoods, upland hardwoods, and pocosins. These unmanaged forests were interspersed with pine plantations and had relatively low human activity. Home range and habitat analyses were conducted seasonally and annually using land use--land cover data in a geographic information system (GIS). Spring, summer, and fall home ranges of black bears were larger in the BP than the GS, and GS home ranges were among the smallest reported in the United States. Pocosins, clearcuts, and marshes were frequently preferred over managed pine plantations. Collared bears did not spend large amounts of time in agricultural areas, but evidence from a companion study suggests that bears depended heavily on crops for food obtained during short feeding forays. Changes in crop rotation patterns from corn, soybeans, and wheat to cotton may reduce agricultural food resources for bears. The continued loss of pocosins and marshes to human development may exacerbate the effects of reduced food crops. Black bears appear to benefit from early-succession habitats created by logging operations. We recommend the development of a coalition of state and federal wildlife agencies, the forest industry, and the agricultural community to discuss landscape effects on black bears in the Atlantic Coastal Plain and implement strategies to address future black bear habitat management in the region.