A Burning Question: What are the Implications of Forest Fires for Woodland Caribou?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Konkolics ◽  
Melanie Dickie ◽  
Robert Serrouya ◽  
Dave Hervieux ◽  
Stan Boutin
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fires ◽  
Woodland Caribou

Comparison of pre-fire and post-fire space use reveals varied responses by woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in the Boreal Shield

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (11) ◽  
pp. 751-760
Author(s):  
J.A. Silva ◽  
S.E. Nielsen ◽  
P.D. McLoughlin ◽  
A.R. Rodgers ◽  
C. Hague ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fires ◽  
Habitat Management ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Boreal Shield ◽  
Calving Season

By regulating successional dynamics in Canada’s boreal forest, fires can affect the distribution of the Threatened woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788)). Caribou tend to avoid areas burned within the last 40 years; however, few studies have compared pre-fire and post-fire caribou observations. In this study, we used caribou GPS locations from the Boreal Shield of Saskatchewan, Canada, to assess the short-term response of caribou to areas that burned while they were collared (hereafter recent burns). We used a “before–after, control–impact” design to compare the overlap of pre-fire and post-fire seasonal home ranges to the overlap of year-to-year seasonal home ranges. Caribou rarely encountered recent burns and when they did, they adjusted their space use in variable and complex ways that were largely indistinguishable from regular, interannual variation. Caribou tended to reduce use of recent burns in summer–autumn and winter, but not during the calving season, in some cases shifting their home range to incorporate more burned habitat. We conclude that recently burned areas (<5 years) may provide habitat value to woodland caribou, particularly during the calving season, requiring a more flexible approach to interpret fire in habitat management strategies.

scholarly journals Modelling Lichen Abundance for Woodland Caribou in a Fire-Driven Boreal Landscape

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Silva ◽  
Scott Nielsen ◽  
Clayton Lamb ◽  
Christine Hague ◽  
Stan Boutin
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Upland Forest ◽  
Time Since Fire

Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are reliant on Cladonia spp. ground lichens as a major component of their diet and lichen abundance could be an important indicator of habitat quality, particularly in winter. The boreal forest is typified by large, stand-replacing forest fires that consume ground lichens, which take decades to recover. The large spatial extent of caribou ranges and the mosaic of lichen availability created by fires make it challenging to track the abundance of ground lichens. Researchers have developed various techniques to map lichens across northern boreal and tundra landscapes, but it remains unclear which techniques are best suited for use in the continuous boreal forest, where many of the conflicts amongst caribou and human activities are most acute. In this study, we propose a two-stage regression modelling approach to map the abundance (biomass, kg/ha) of Cladonia spp. ground lichens in the boreal forest. Our study was conducted in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, a wilderness-class protected area in northwestern Ontario, Canada. We used field sampling to characterize lichen abundance in 109 upland forest stands across the local time-since-fire continuum (2–119 years-since-fire). We then used generalized linear models to relate lichen presence and lichen abundance to forest structure, topographic and remote sensing attributes. Model selection indicated ground lichens were best predicted by ecosite, time-since-fire, and canopy closure. Lichen abundance was very low (<1000 kg/ha) across the time-since-fire continuum in upland forest stands with dense tree cover. Conversely, lichen abundance increased steadily across the time-since-fire continuum in upland forest stands with sparse tree cover, exceeding 3000 kg/ha in mature stands. We interpolated the best lichen presence and lichen abundance models to create spatial layers and combined them to generate a map that provides a reasonable estimation of lichen biomass (R2 = 0.39) for our study area. We encourage researchers and managers to use our method as a basic framework to map the abundance of ground lichens across fire-prone, boreal caribou ranges. Mapping lichens will aid in the identification of suitable habitat and can be used in planning to ensure habitat is maintained in adequate supply in areas with multiple land-use objectives. We also encourage the use of lichen abundance maps to investigate questions that improve our understanding of caribou ecology.

Living in a burned landscape: woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) use of postfire residual patches for calving in a high fire – low anthropogenic Boreal Shield ecozone

2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (12) ◽  
pp. 975-984 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.G. Skatter ◽  
M.L. Charlebois ◽  
S. Eftestøl ◽  
D. Tsegaye ◽  
J.E. Colman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fires ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Potential Habitat ◽  
Boreal Shield ◽  
Insight Into

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) calculated that 55% of Saskatchewan’s Boreal Shield has been disturbed by wildfire in the last 40 years. The 2012 Canadian Federal Recovery Strategy for woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788)) states that these large-scale natural disturbances can cause caribou to cease use of portions of their range. This assumption neglects the potential habitat value of postfire residuals. We tested this assumption using 2 years of GPS data obtained from 56 female caribou to identify calving site selection. Seventy-nine calving events were identified from 91 individual calving seasons. For both calving and postcalving periods, woodland caribou preferred nonburned (>40 years) over burned habitats (≤40 years). Within burned areas, residual patches dominated by bogs–fens were preferred, indicating that burns with residuals are important woodland caribou calving habitat. The residuals may act as island refuges providing food–security, while surrounding burns provide reduced visual obstruction from which caribou can detect approaching predators. Although more data are necessary to make robust conclusions, this study provides novel insight into the ecological interactions of forest fires with woodland caribou in northern Saskatchewan, and offers important considerations regarding critical habitat identification and range-level planning to ensure all suitable caribou habitats are identified.

Beetles sniff out forest fires

Nature ◽  
1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry Gee
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fires
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