scholarly journals Analysis of forest stands used by wintering woodland caribou in Ontario

Rangifer ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 157 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Antoniak ◽  
H.G. Cumming
Keyword(s):  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Landsat Imagery ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
Northwestern Ontario ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
Wintering Areas

Two summers' field surveys at 9 locations in northwestern Ontario showed that woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) wintering areas supported jack pine and black spruce stands with low tree densities (mean 1552 trees/ ha, 39% of a fully stocked stand), low basal areas (mean 14.14 m2/ha), low volumes (mean 116 mVha, 68% of Normal Yield Tables) and short heights (95% of stands 12 m or less). Ecologically, most sights were classed V30. Significantly more lichen (averaging 39% lichen ground cover) was found on plots used by caribou. Three measured areas showed few shrubs, possibly enhancing escape possibilities and reducing browse attractive to moose. An HIS model predicted known locations of caribou winter habitat from FRI data with 76% accuracy. Landsat imagery theme 3 (open conifer) produced 74% accuracy. Combining these methods permitted prediction of all 50 test sites. The low volumes of timber found in caribou wintering areas suggest that setting aside reserves for caribou winter habitat would not sacrifice as much wood product value as might at first appear.

scholarly journals Towards a Caribou Habitat Management Strategy for Northwestern Ontario: Running the Gauntlet

Rangifer ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald D. Racey ◽  
Edward R. Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategy ◽  
Habitat Management ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Remote Communities ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Wood Supply ◽  
The Public ◽  
Northwestern Ontario ◽  
The Government

A management strategy for woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) habitat is being developed in northwestern Ontario. This strategy is based upon a set of draft Timber Management Guidelines for the Provision of Woodland Caribou Habitat. These guidelines recommend maintaining a sustainable supply of winter habitat within large tracts of old forest, protecting calving areas and minimizing human disturbance. Due to the large temporal and spatial scale of caribou habitat management, an ecosystem-based approach is recommended. Public response to the strategy shows a strong dichotomy between environmental and utilitarian values among all the major stakeholder groups. The major issues raised by the public include security of industrial wood supply, quality of the knowledge base, level of awareness of caribou, economic impacts on remote communities, concern about environmental impacts and silvicultural know-how. The government is responding to these concerns as the strategy evolves. Current emphasis is placed on increasing awareness of the public, training resource managers in caribou biology, management and habitat planning, implementing interim habitat management prescriptions and studying the potential impact on wood supply. The final direction for a northwestern Ontario strategy to conserve woodland caribou habitat has yet to be decided, although a commitment has been made to strive for the conservation of woodland caribou populations and their habitat.

scholarly journals Comparative Height Growth of Eastern Larch and Black Spruce in Northwestern Ontario

1978 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 296-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas A. Mead
Keyword(s):  
Picea Mariana ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Larix Laricina ◽  
Stem Analysis ◽  
Northwestern Ontario ◽  
Analysis Methods ◽  
Spruce Stands

Height growth of eastern larch (Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch) and black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) was determined using standard stem analysis methods on trees from two sites in northwestern Ontario. The data were obtained from mixed larch-spruce stands which were relatively undisturbed. The larch exhibited substantially better height growth than the spruce through age 65.

scholarly journals Movement pathways and habitat selection by woodland caribou during spring migration

Rangifer ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 143 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Joanne Saher ◽  
Fiona K.A. Schmiegelow
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Resource Selection ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
System Data ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Migratory Movements

Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are a threatened species throughout Canada. Special management is therefore required to ensure habitat needs are met, particularly because much of their current distribution is heavily influenced by resource extraction activities. Although winter habitat is thought to be limiting and is the primary focus of conservation efforts, maintaining connectivity between summer and winter ranges has received little attention. We used global positioning system data from an interprovincial, woodland caribou herd to define migratory movements on a relatively pristine range. Non-linear models indicated that caribou movement during migration was punctuated; caribou traveled for some distance (movement phase) followed by a pause (resting/foraging phase). We then developed resource selection functions (RSFs), using case-controlled logistic regression, to describe resting/foraging sites and movement sites, at the landscape scale. The RSFs indicated that caribou traveled through areas that were less rugged and closer to water than random and that resting/foraging sites were associated with older forests that have a greater component of pine, and are further from water than were random available locations. This approach to analyzing animal location data allowed us to identify two patterns of habitat selection (travel and foraging/resting) for caribou during the migratory period. Resultant models are important tools for land use planning to ensure that connectivity between caribou summer and winter ranges is maintained.

scholarly journals Early Winter Habitat Use by Mountain Caribou in the North Cariboo and Columbia Mountains, British Columbia

Rangifer ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 133 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Terry ◽  
B. McLellan ◽  
G. Watts ◽  
J. Flaa
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
The North ◽  
Columbia Mountains ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Spruce Stands

Winter habitat use was compared between two mountain caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) populations in British Columbia. Regional differences were apparent during November and December. Radio-collared caribou inhabiting the gentle plateaus of the northern Cariboo Mountains, near Prince George, B.C. primarily used mid-elevation balsam-spruce stands on moderate slopes (<30%). In contrast, radio-collared caribou in the North Columbia Mountains, near Revelstoke, B.C. used low elevation hemlock-cedar stands and relatively steeper slopes (>30%). To adequately address habitat requirements of caribou, forest management plans should incorporate varying regional and seasonal habitat use patterns. Hypotheses on observed differences in habitat use are discussed.

scholarly journals Preliminary assessment of habitat characteristics of woodland caribou calving areas in the Claybelt region of Québec and Ontario, Canada

Rangifer ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Émilie Lantin ◽  
Pierre Drapeau ◽  
Marcel Paré ◽  
Yves Bergeron
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Percent Cover ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Vegetation Characteristics ◽  
Forest Cover Types

Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) require a diversity of forested habitats over large areas and may thus be particularly affected by the large-scale changes in the composition and age-class distribution of forest landscapes induced by the northern expansion of forest management. In this study we examine habitat characteristics associated to the use of calving areas by woodland caribou females and calves at different spatial scales. Thirty females were captured and collared with Argos satellite transmitters that allowed to locate 14 calving areas. Field surveys were conducted at each of these areas to measure the landscape composition of forest cover types and local vegetation characteristics that are used for both forage conditions and protection cover. At the scale of the calving area, univariate comparisons of the amount of forest cover types between sites with and without calves showed that the presence of calves was associated to mature black spruce forest with a high percent cover of terrestrial lichens. Within calving grounds, univariate comparisons showed that vegetation features like ericaceans and terrestrial lichens, that are important food resources for lactating females, were more abundant in calving areas where females were seen with a calf in mid-July than in areas where females were seen alone. The protection of the vegetation cover against predators was however similar between calving areas with or with¬out a calf. Logistic regression results also indicated that vegetation characteristics associated to forage conditions were positively associated to calf presence on calving grounds. Our results suggest that foraging conditions should be given more attention in analyses on habitat requirements of woodland caribou.

Using Landsat imagery to backcast fire and post-fire residuals in the Boreal Shield of Saskatchewan: implications for woodland caribou management

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 597 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Kansas ◽  
Javier Vargas ◽  
Hans G. Skatter ◽  
Brady Balicki ◽  
Kevin McCullum
Keyword(s):  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Landsat Imagery ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Critical Habitat ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Planning Decisions ◽  
Boreal Shield ◽  
Disturbance Model

Boreal woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are designated as threatened under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. A Recovery Strategy for the boreal population of caribou identified critical habitat for all but 1 of 51 caribou ranges – Saskatchewan’s Boreal Shield (SK1). The strategy identified 65% undisturbed habitat as the threshold below which a local population was not likely to be self-sustaining. Disturbance was measured as the combined effects of fires <40 years and anthropogenic land use. The fire component of the total disturbance model used fire polygons that were delineated using traditional mapping methods. Our study maps fire from 1988–2013 using the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio analysis of Landsat Thematic mapper and Operational Land Imager. Annual burned areas based on fire perimeters were similar between traditionally and Landsat-derived inventory approaches, but the traditional methods overestimated within-burn areas by 31.8%, as a result of including post-fire residuals and water bodies as burned. The federal recovery model assumes that all lands within provincial fire polygons (<40 years) are inadequate as caribou habitat, and ignores the potential value of post-fire residuals and water bodies as habitat. For some Boreal Shield ranges including SKI, where fire comprises the majority of the total disturbance and residual patches are abundant, total disturbance calculations, critical habitat designation and range planning decisions should take into account residuals, including water bodies.

scholarly journals Examining the role of terrestrial lichen transplants in restoring woodland caribou winter habitat

2017 ◽  
Vol 93 (03) ◽  
pp. 204-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean B. Rapai ◽  
Duncan McColl ◽  
Richard Troy McMullin
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Transplant Program ◽  
Restoration Techniques ◽  
Terrestrial Lichen

The development of habitat restoration techniques for restoring critical woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) winter habitat will play an important role in meeting the management thresholds in woodland caribou recovery plans. The goal is to restore disturbed environments within critical winter habitat for the declining woodland caribou. Woodland caribou are diet specialists, utilizing lichen-rich habitat for forage during winter months. Cladonia sub-genus Cladina is the most frequently eaten species during this time. Herein, we provide: 1) A review of previously used methods for transplanting Cladonia sub-genus Cladina and their feasibility in restoring woodland caribou winter habitat; 2) A stepby- step protocol on how to carry out a terrestrial lichen transplant program (using Cladonia sub-genus Cladina and C. uncialis); and, 3) An evaluation of our protocol through the establishment of a case study in northern British Columbia. Our results indicate that transplanting C. sub-genus Cladina fragments is the most efficient technique for transplanting terrestrial lichen communities, but transplanting lichen ‘patches’ or ‘mats’ may also be effective.

scholarly journals The effects of human land use on the winter habitat of the recovering Carcross woodland caribou herd in suburban Yukon Territory, Canada

Rangifer ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob Florkiewicz ◽  
Ramona Maraj ◽  
Troy Hegel ◽  
Marcus Waterreus
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Resource Selection ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Yukon Territory ◽  
Selection Function ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Private Lands ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Winter Range ◽  
Private And Public

Carcross woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) numbers are increasing as a result of an intensive management and recovery program initiated in 1993. In the last 13 years, three overlapping First Nation land claim agreements were settled resulting in a complicated array of private and public land management authorities on this winter range, situated in the Whitehorse periphery. Twelve years of VHF radio-collar data (1994-2005) and 5 years of GPS radio-collar data (2000-2005) for female caribou were assessed to determine winter concentration areas and important winter habitats. We contrasted locations from 11 GPS radio-collared caribou with land cover classes, derived from classified Landsat 7 imagery, to evaluate the distribution and abundance of preferred habitats within this winter range. We found significant use of Open Needle Leaf lichen vegetation classes and avoidance of the relatively more abundant Closed Needle Leaf class. Our resource selection function model validated the preference for Open Needle Leaf Lichen and determined that caribou were spaced significantly further from an estimate of the human Zone of Influence (ZOI) than was expected from random locations. While our assessment determined that 64% of the winter range was located outside of either private lands or land influenced by human activity, key winter vegetation classes were under-represented within this area. If caribou are to successfully recover on this landscape and persist through time it is essential to manage, through meaningful participation among land management authorities, the remaining caribou habitat for environmental rather than human consumptive values.

scholarly journals Will ecosystem management supply woodland caribou habitat in northwestern Ontario?

Rangifer ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
David L. Euler
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Management ◽  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Managed Forest ◽  
Northwestern Ontario ◽  
And Function ◽  
Forested Ecosystems

Ecosystem management is emerging as an important concept in managing forests. Although the basic conceptual idea is not new, important defining principles are developing that elucidate some of the specific attributes of ecosystem management. These principles include: the maintenance of all ecosystems in the managed forest, rhe emulation of natural disturbance patterns on rhe landscape and the insurance that structure and function of forested ecosystems are conserved. Forest management has an impact on woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), although the presence of wolves (Canis lupus) and moose (Alces alces) in the same northern ecosystems also affects the caribou-forestry interacrion. Specific management for caribou as a featured species has been proposed, based on managing large landscape blocks. Ecosystem management would also produce habitat in a manner that might accomplish the goal of conserving woodland caribou as well as maintaining other important ecosystem functions.

Ecological studies in the boreal spruce–fir forests of the North American taiga. II. Analysis of the bryophyte flora

1976 ◽  
Vol 54 (7) ◽  
pp. 619-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
George H. La Roi ◽  
Muriel H. L. Stringer
Keyword(s):  
Black Spruce ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Pleurozium Schreberi ◽  
Hylocomium Splendens ◽  
Important Species ◽  
The North ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
Community Types

The bryoflora of 34 white spruce – fir and 26 black spruce stands in the boreal forest subzone consisted of 100 mosses and 33 liverworts. Short turfs, smooth mats, threaded mats, and tall erect turfs were the most species-rich growth-forms; wefts were cover dominants. White spruce – fir stands had more species but lower cover than black spruce. The liverwort:moss species ratio in white spruce – fir increased with precipitation. Based on bryoflora and geography, stands were classified as follows: white spruce – fir, Hylocomium splendens – Pleurozium schreberi order (= three associations of western Ceratodon purpureus – Pylaisiella polyantha alliance and two associations of eastern Rhynchostegium serrulatum – Tetraphis pellucida alliance); black spruce, Pleurozium schreberi – Hylocomium splendens order (= three associations of western Drepanocladus uncinatus – Brachythecium salebrosum alliance and two associations of eastern Sphagnum – Hypnum pallescens alliance). Of the 32 most important species, 16 'preferred' wood, 7 needle litter, 6 mineral soil, and 3 bark. The ground cover hierarchy in white spruce – fir was weft mosses > detritus [Formula: see text] needles > wood > other bryophytes > lichens > bark > soil; in black spruce, wood and other bryophytes were reversed. Higher species richness of white spruce – fir stands was ascribed to higher productivity and greater age, which gives a greater diversity and quantity of woody substrates for microsuccessional species. Shortage of suitable substrate and competition from weft mosses may explain the consistently low abundance of most other bryophytes in the two community types.

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