A landscape-level survey of feral hog impacts to natural resources of the Big Thicket National Preserve
Chavarria PM, Lopez RR, Bowser G, Silvy NJ. 2007. A landscape-level survey of feral hog impacts to natural resources of the Big Thicket National Preserve. Human-Wildlife Conflicts. 1(2):199-204
We conducted a survey of the impact of feral hog (Sus scrofa) on the natural resources ofthe Big Thicket National Preserve (BTNP), a unit of the National Park Service. We workedin 3 management units: Lance Rosier, Big Sandy, and Turkey Creek. Random stratifi edsampling was conducted to assess impacts from hog damage on resources by vegetationtype at a landscape scale. Landscape features such as topography, soil moisture, soil type,and dominant vegetative cover types were used to predict hog damage. The overall damageto vegetation from hog rooting or wallowing averaged 28% within the 3 units of the BTNP. Inthe Big Sandy unit, fl oodplains had the most damage (45%), whereas fl atlands were mostlyimpacted in the Turkey Creek unit (46%), and uplands in the Lance Rosier unit (32%). Theselevels of damage were more severe and widespread than previously believed and support thepremise that hog damage in the BTNP parallels the increase in hog abundance over the past20 years.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Chavarria, Pedro; Lopez, Roel; Bowser, Gillian; Silvy, Nova
- Units
- BITH
- Keywords
- Big Sandy Creek Unit, Exotic Species, Feral hog, human–wildlife conflicts, Lance Rosier Unit, Sus scrofa, Turkey Creek Unit, wildlife damage management