Description: Elk use a variety of habitats, but a mix of forest and openings, dominated by grass and herbaceous plants, is ideal. Elk also use forest openings, glades and woodland habitats. Since the mid-1990’s habitat management on public lands and other properties in and around the restoration zone have created habitat that is conducive to numerous wildlife species, including elk.
The number of elk that can be supported in any given management zone is influenced by many factors, including weather, habitat quality, predation, hunter harvest, and the need to minimize elk-based crop and property damage
(agricultural impacts). One or more of these “limiting” factors can often prevent an elk herd from growing further or limit the ability of wildlife managers to maintain current elk herd numbers.
For each proposed elk zone, park staff identified the limiting factors using flight surveys, elk population trends over 10 or more years, changes to available habitat, reported agricultural impacts (crop and property damage), known or
suspected causes of elk mortality, assessments of predator populations and predation impacts, and other data and elk management experience.
The severity of each identified limiting factor was classified as low, moderate, or high. Limiting factors common to most park elk populations are predation and habitat. Severity of these limiting factors varies across the park and
even within zones.
Copyright Text: Great Smoky Mountains National Park