| Summary: | Seasonal habitat suitability models for Roosevelt elk, Cervus elaphus roosevelti,
(Brunt 1991) were tested using two distinctly different study areas on northern
Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Locations for 5 radio-collared elk, obtained
approximately twice per week by telemetry from May 1992 to August 1993, were used
to test the models. I used the adaptive kernel method to estimate seasonal home
ranges from each elk's locations. Habitat suitability values for summer, mild winter, and
severe winter were calculated across each study area on a geographic information
system (GIS), using input variables from forest cover, topology, and understory
coverages. I compared the suitability values of elk locations to values within home
ranges and across study areas, and the suitability values of seasonal home ranges to
those across the study areas. The home ranges were further compared with equal
sized, circular areas randomly placed in the study areas. Because elk generally used
areas of higher suitability than expected, I concluded that the model had some ability to
predict areas which contained suitable elk habitat. I also identified limitations of the
model. === Land and Food Systems, Faculty of === Graduate
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