APPLICATION OF A MODIFIED HABITAT-SUITABILITY-INDEX MODEL FOR MOOSE

This paper explores alternative approaches for calculating moose Habit at Suitability Index (HSI) values using a GIS. We modified an existing moose HSI model and implemented it using moving windows and various b oundary value estimation methods. The habitat window and boundary anal yses indicate that a 50 percent window overlap is sufficient to captur e variation in the landscape. A mirror data set for areas outside the study area, used to estimate boundary habitat values from a sample gri d within a vector GIS, is proposed as a useful alternative for support ing landscape-scale resource management.