The Duck Mountain Provincial Forest in west-central Manitoba is a landbase with a mosaic of uplands and wetlands. The wetlands are both interspersed and interconnected with uplands. Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) of just the uplands was deemed insufficient, as was ignoring wetlands, or trying to separate out the wetlands.
Ducks Unlimited Canada has helped Louisiana-Pacific Canada understand the classification, mapping, and strategic and operational significance of wetlands since 2002. Wetland mapping was completed for the Duck Mountains, and is being incorporated into an ecosystem inventory, which will be utilized in a 20 Year Forest Management Plan. Our capacity to protect wetlands helps us with Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certification, especially Objective 3 ‘Protection and Maintenance of Water Resources’. Operational planning keeps larger wetlands out of the proposed harvest block, while wetlands inside the harvest blocks maintain connectivity and buffer small wetlands. Robust crossings over wetlands are constructed utilizing wetland-specific crossing techniques from the Ducks Unlimited Canada’s wetland crossing guide.
Louisiana-Pacific Canada got to where we are at cooperatively with Ducks Unlimited Canada’s help and expertise. Wetland management has corporate benefits to Louisiana-Pacific Canada Ltd., including improved social licence and public trust, saving money on roads due to better road planning, less washouts, and less road maintenance. We have further to go with regards to management and protection of the integrated mosaic of upland and wetland ecosystems.
Opportunity knocks! Ducks Unlimited Canada has provided a great opportunity for all agencies in western Canada. The five major wetland classes (bog, fen, swamp, marsh, and open water) have been hierarchically classified into 19 wetland subclasses, complete with a field guide to identify the wetland subclasses on the ground. Furthermore, these wetlands are mapped and spatially referenced across western Canada! Any agency can utilize the provided mapping tools to incorporate wetlands into their management of the landbase.