In general, regulators expect that disturbed sites in the boreal forest will undergo complete reclamation (recontouring, soil replacement and revegetation) with the goal of returning the site to pre-disturbance condition and land use (equivalent land capability). Legislation and policies provide opportunities to vary from these expectations with written approval from a specified decision maker (Director, Regulator, Land Manager). Alberta’s Wetland Policy requires replacement of wetlands lost due to industrial development, but recognizes that the relative value of a wetland (used to calculate replacement ratios) is based, in part, on the relative abundance of wetlands in the region. In areas of high abundance (such as northeast Alberta) and low historical loss, the concept of relative abundance will facilitate a considered approach to wetland management, balancing environmental, social, and economic priorities in the execution of management decisions.

The two specific instances of relevance to this project where a regulatory decision is needed are: (1) a request for a variance based on a site having natural vegetation encroachment rather than complete reclamation; and, (2) a request to leave well pads in peatlands in place.

Project Description:

Southern mountain caribou in British Columbia have experienced rapid population decline due to human-mediated changes to forest communities and a resulting increase in predation. The majority of past research has focused on broad-scale relationships between habitat composition and the distribution of caribou. We sought to identify the mechanistic drivers of predation risk as they relate to a range of forest-management strategies. We investigated the effect of three forest-harvest prescriptions on the co-occurrence of caribou, sympatric ungulates, and predators: unharvested old-growth, clearcut harvesting, and group-selection harvesting. Group-selection is the legally mandated harvesting system for specific southern mountain caribou habitat because it restricts stand removal to 33% by area. That partial cutting strategy maintains old-forest structure and arboreal lichen. However, this system may create an environment that is more attractive to sympatric ungulates during snow-free periods. We deployed and lured 57 wildlife cameras to investigate how human-mediated plant community dynamics influenced the distribution of caribou, moose, mule deer, and predators.

Project Outcomes or Intended Outcomes:

Our preliminary results identify distinct differences in habitat use among the target species. Caribou avoided all areas where forest harvesting had occurred. Moose used the group-selection treatment most frequently. Mule deer favored clearcuts in spring while moose used that treatment in summer. Grizzly and black bears used stands harvested by group-selection more often than clearcut. Our findings suggest that forest management implemented to provide forage for mountain caribou may increase predation risk, potentially leading to further population decline.