Reconciling pre-industrial patterns, caribou habitat and management reality

Commencing in January 2021, the Healthy Landscape Program will be delivering this multi-year for the ARCKP. Using the spatially-explicit Patchworks scenario planning model, this study explores whether, and to what degree, the needs of woodland caribou management and a natural range of variation (NRV) approach to harvesting align.

Objectives

1. Obtain a better understanding of if, and to what degree, spatial clustering of anthropogenic disturbances is possible to create on the ground, and how it varies under different conditions and policy scenarios.
2. Assess the potential impact of various scenarios on woodland caribou habitat and other values.
3. Understand if natural range of variation (NRV) aligns with proposed harvesting pattern changes to improve woodland caribou habitat outcomes and whether forest management activities can closely approximate these