摘要：Dendroecological analysis is often used in animal ecology to infer population fluctuations. In this study, we used scars produced by caribou hooves on superficial roots of conifers to evaluate the recent activity of the George River caribou herd (GRCH). In 1999 and 2000, we sampled a minimum of 300 trampling scars at each of 31 lichen woodland sites distributed over the summer habitat of the GRCH. Among the 31 selected sites, 18 had been previously sampled in 1992–1993 and showed a good agreement in trends inferred in caribou activity with the 1999–2000 data set at the same sites. We evaluated the recent activity pattern of the GRCH using mean values of pooled scar-age data from the 31 sites. We inferred two major trends from the tree-ring data: that the GRCH experienced an important increase from 1975 to the late 1980s, and that this growth was followed by a major decline that began in the early 1990s. Radio-collar data from 1991 to 1998 also support the decline as no major change was found in the geographical distribution of the GRCH during this period.
