BLACK BEAR DAMAGE MANAGEMENT IN WASHINGTON STATE

Black bears (Ursus americanus) foraging on trees can be extremely detrimental to the health and economic value of a timber stand. A supplemental feeding program to reduce bear damage is coordinated by the Washington Forest Protection Association\u27s Animal Damage Control Program (ADCP). A brief overview of the ADCP is provided along with a description of bear damage and the supplemental feeding program. Success of the feeding program is demonstrated by an increasing participation and its general acceptance by the public. Timber producers placed over 400 thousand pounds of pellets in 700 feeding stations this past year