Aspen and willow seem to occupy areas that are better drai: 
;e usually used by deer for yardt. : theast sota, 
•.rpon appears to be nore dominant in wet places than willow. 
Red-osier is tty * coomon dogwood species that i .ter 
browse. This shrub is abundant in small patches but rarely covers any 
exU I found '.There tho deer concontrato it is browsed 
heavily during the early wintor months. It suckers abundantly .as 
boon browBod so hoavily in the Jonvick yard that the annual gj is 
doclining t.\ 
Jicld observations have chow, that maple brash is among the more 
i:.-.purtant o: leer browse species in the Superior National J^res 
Alor*.- the northern shore of Lake Superior, the mountain maple A 
a; icatum ) is the most abundant form, while over the western two— 1 . rds 
of the forest the red maple (A. rubjum) is dominant. Both these species, 
ever, occur over the entire area. They areamong the first to 
browsed and are usually depleted earlier in the year. She mountain maple 
is commonly associated with white cedar, but the red maple grows on higher 
and better-drained soils. Figaro 3 shows the availability of maple as a 
browse species throughout the forest. It suckers profusely and even under 
• rcme browsing usually makes a good annual growth. The mountr.; lo 
i3 one of the principle trov/se species in the Jonvick yard, yet it was not 
:.d in any of the 15 winter stomachs from that area. Die ex. . -on is, 
as mentioned above, that all that was available was eaten earlier in tho 
yoar. 
The beaked hazelnut is well distributed throughout the Superior 
".rest but usually occurs on upland areas and therefore; is not so common 
where the deer concentrate in winter. Cne exception, however, is the 
abundance of this species in the Temperance yard, ■ ferer.t 
from all others in the forest in that it comprises a hilly area or. both 
sides of the Temperance River and has a mature but thin stand of ::.ixed 
-iwoods, cedar, balsam fir, and spracc, and a luxuriant growth of 
brush. Because the annual output of twigs on the hazelnut La mall 
the plant grows largoly outside the yards, it is not of gr 
importance to deer in winter. 
fountain- ash ( So rbu s americana ) is a splendid deer food but, as 
indicated in figure 3, is not readily available. Two distinct groups of 
La plant are in the area: ( l) Those above the reach of deer; and (2) 
those that never get above tho snow line because of browsing. On sc 
of the so th< had oaten twigs up to three- eighths of on La 
diameter. 
Sed elderberry ( Sambucus racemosa ) is a choice deer food but is 
not available in sufficient quantity to be of much value in wi .:• :-. 
In the 19 deeryards studied on the Superior National Forest, the 
• lowing plants were available in quantities too small to be considered 
^rtant as potential winter doer foods: Tamarack , b imblc- 
■ black ash, jack pine, pin ch<. and jur.cberry. 
_ ,- _ 
