Seismic lines are slow to recover naturally, and many seismic lines need to be restored to contribute towards caribou recovery. Caribou predators use seismic lines to travel throughout caribou ranges. To date, seismic line prioritization efforts have focused on vegetation height, however, the species of vegetation growing on seismic lines might also affect caribou by attracting moose, deer, and elk, and predators like bears and wolves. In the summers of 2014 and 2015, we visited 351 seismic lines in west-central and northwestern Alberta and recorded information on wildlife forage, human use, and regeneration height which we used to:
1. Compare wildlife forage on seismic lines, seismic line edges, and intact forest stands
2. Model and map wildlife forage, vegetation growth and vegetation structure on seismic in relation to a range of variables describing terrain, habitat, and soil wetness and nutrients.