Glenn Sutherland - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Glenn Sutherland
Canadian Field-Naturalist, 2000
The use of trade or firm names in this publication is for reader information and does not imply e... more The use of trade or firm names in this publication is for reader information and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of any product or sen/ice. Intermountain Research Station 324 25th Street Ogden, UT 84401 User's Manual for Western Root Disease Model Tree root diseases pervade forested lands of the United States. Timber losses caused by root diseases have been estimated to average nearly 240 million cubic feet per year (Smith 1984). Root diseases typically originate from infected stumps of previous stands and spread to root systems of other trees in the immediate vicinity (Thies 1984; Wargo and Shaw 1985). The ability of these diseases to survive for many years in roots and stumps and to spread in stands throughout a rotation (possibly without early detection) imposes constraints on the management prescriptions available for regenerating stands (Bloomberg and others 1980). Management practices such as transplanting of trees, deep planting, partial cutting, fire prevention, or excessive removal of imderstory biomass may initiate or enhance the spread of one or more root diseases (Wargo 1980). Other practices, including use of diseaseresistant tree species, trenching around infection centers, and careful cutting and commercial thinning methods, are known to reduce root disease impacts (Shaw and Roth 1978). In response to managers' concerns for lack of information about the future development of diseased stands, a model was designed to predict the spread and impact of pathogenic Armillaria spp. or Phellinus weirii (Murr. [Gilbn.]) in mixed species, multiaged stands in the Western United States. The model was developed through a series of workshops in which the knowledge of many experts on the biology and management of root diseases was captured (Brookes 1985 and appendix I). With this information, and after several rounds of refinement, the model was produced; it currently operates in conjunction with the Prognosis Model for Stand Development. Details on the process of model development appear in Shaw and others (1985), Eav and Shaw (1987), and McNamee and others (1985). The combined Prognosis/Root Disease Model can be used with existing forest inventories to evaluate possible outcomes of silvicultural prescriptions and root disease control activities for sites where root disease may influence stand development. Its uses include long-term planning for management of stands affected by root disease and for highlighting potential uncertainties and research needs for better understanding of root disease dynamics and effects. To model effects of silviculture on root-disease organisms, and their effects on stand dynamics, requires a model of stand development that can represent stands of mixed species and ages. Furthermore, the stand model should represent the species and sizes of regeneration that are expected to fill openings created by tree mortality. The Stand Prognosis Model described by Stage (1973) and Wykoff and others (1982) has these capabilities. In addition, it is extensively used for examining and evaluating alternative stand management practices in the Western United States. The Prognosis Model is intended to produce estimates of realizable yield. Growth statistics calculated by the model include the average effects of factors such as climatic variation, past management activities, and pest damage as they are applied to the individual tree classes that make up the stand. One or more "extensions" to the Prognosis Model must be used to explicitly include interactions
The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this publication is for the information and conve... more The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this publication is for the information and convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the Government of British Columbia of any product or service to the exclusion of any others that may also be suitable. Contents of this report are presented for discussion purposes only. Funding assistance does not imply endorsement of any statements or information contained herein by the Government of British Columbia. Uniform Resource Locators (urls), addresses, and contact information contained in this document are current at the time of printing unless otherwise noted.dation of modelled habitat classifications for the northern spotted owl in British Columbia using patterns of historical occupancy. Validation of modelled habitat classifications for the Northern Spotted Owl in British Columbia using patterns of historical occupancy / Glenn D. Sutherland ... [et al.]. Includes bibliographical refer...
Forests, 2022
Cumulative effects of increased forest harvesting, mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae;... more Cumulative effects of increased forest harvesting, mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae; MPB) outbreaks, and wildfire in low-elevation lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forests could limit long-term winter habitat supply for the northern group of southern mountain caribou (Rangifer tarandus). In a 17 year longitudinal study of vegetation remeasurements at eight sites in north-central and west-central British Columbia (BC), we assessed responses of terrestrial caribou forage lichen abundances to nine forest harvesting treatments and one prescribed burn 8–14 years following treatment, as well as to MPB attack. Overall, after initially declining following forest harvesting, mean forage lichen abundance increased between 1 and 2 years post-harvest and 13 and 14 years post-harvest at 10 of 11 site/treatment combinations. Mean forage lichen abundance decreased following MPB attack at all sites. Biophysical factors influencing rates of lichen recovery post-disturbance include site t...
Ecological Applications, 2022
Recovering endangered species is a difficult and often controversial task that challenges status ... more Recovering endangered species is a difficult and often controversial task that challenges status quo land uses. Southern Mountain caribou are a threatened ecotype of caribou that historically ranged in southwestern Canada and northwestern USA and epitomize the tension between resource extraction, biodiversity conservation, and Indigenous Peoples' treaty rights. Human-induced habitat alteration is considered the ultimate cause of caribou population declines, whereby an increased abundance of primary prey-such as moose and deer-elevates predator populations and creates unsustainable caribou mortality. Here we focus on the Klinse-Za and Quintette subpopulations, part of the endangered Central Group of Southern Mountain caribou in British Columbia. These subpopulations were trending toward immediate extirpation until a collaborative group initiated recovery by implementing two short-term recovery actions. We test the effectiveness of these recovery actionsmaternity penning of adult females and their calves, and the reduction of a primary predator, wolves-in increasing vital rates and population growth. Klinse-Za received both recovery actions, whereas Quintette only received wolf reductions, providing an opportunity to test efficacy between recovery actions. Between 1995 and 2021, we followed 162 collared female caribou for 414 animal-years to estimate survival and used aerial counts to estimate population abundance and calf recruitment. We combined these data in an integrated population model to estimate female population growth, total population abundance, and recovery action effectiveness. Results suggest that the subpopulations were declining rapidly (λ = 0.90-0.93) before interventions and would have been functionally extirpated (<10 animals) within 10-15 years. Wolf reduction increased population growth rates by~0.12 for each subpopulation. Wolf reduction halted the decline of Quintette caribou and allowed them to increase (λ = 1.05), but alone would have only stabilized the Klinse-Za
Biological Conservation, 2021
Abstract How to mitigate the impacts of anthropogenic habitat alteration and restore ecological p... more Abstract How to mitigate the impacts of anthropogenic habitat alteration and restore ecological processes has become an imperative question facing applied ecology. One high-profile example in Canada is boreal woodland caribou, which are declining across North America largely due to anthropogenic habitat alteration and associated changes to predator-prey dynamics. Habitat restoration is increasingly being implemented to recover habitat, as is mandated by federal law. But given the extent of the disturbance and the cost to conduct restoration, evaluating the effectiveness of restoration treatments is needed for effective recovery of caribou populations. We evaluated the effectiveness of silvicultural treatments to reduce predator (wolf and bear) and prey (moose and caribou) use of linear features using a multiple lines of evidence approach. All four species were less likely to be present at treated sites than untreated sites, and daily photo capture rates of moose and wolves when present at treated sites also declined; though effect sizes were typically small. Complimenting the camera-based results, individual moose, bears, and wolves monitored with GPS collars also showed a decline in the use of treated linear features, particularly those with higher intensity treatments, though the response was non-significant. The reduction in the use of treated lines did not scale-up into a significant decline in overall line-use within the treatment area. While we found more evidence than not supporting that animals reduced use of the restoration sites, our study highlights the complexity of monitoring and evaluating the success of habitat restoration. Understanding long-term responses is imperative to ensure habitat restoration is effective.
The issue of Woodland caribou decline has been identified corporately as a top environmental prio... more The issue of Woodland caribou decline has been identified corporately as a top environmental priority for Cenovus energy Inc. Pursuant to this priority, a habitat centric environmental strategy and performance commitments have been developed. Beginning in 2008, Cenovus began applied investigation into the use of silviculture techniques for accelerated restoration, emphasizing the bog and fen forest site types that are characteristic of Boreal caribou habitat. In a larger scale project called LiDea, restoration treatments were ultimately applied to linear features throughout an area of 370 km 2 within the Cold Lake herd range. As indicated by metrics at the site level, as well as GPS collar re-locations, plant and animal response to restoration treatment are positive from a caribou perspective. Results from the LiDea series of projects have been strong enough to warrant the extension of these forest habitat restoration methods to the landscape scale.
Effective action planning for recovering endangered populations of boreal caribou (Rangifer taran... more Effective action planning for recovering endangered populations of boreal caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) requires an understanding of the functional interactions between: (1) responses by predators to current and prospective future habitat conditions, (2) responses of prey to population and habitat conditions influencing apparent competition, and (3) residual effects of past population bottlenecks. Monitoring recovery trajectories when human-altered habitats are restored requires consideration of many cause-effect linkages operating among multiple species and across multiple ecological scales. We developed a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) to help frame potential functional responses of 2 predators (wolves, bears) and 2 prey (moose, caribou) to a large-scaled, silviculturally-based, habitat restoration experiment conducted within the Cold Lake caribou herd area in the Alberta oil sands. The full BBN consists of three general components: (1) those related to predator and prey move...
Journal of Animal Ecology, 2019
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which... more This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Canadian Journal of Zoology, 1985
In this study we examined the relative influence of the color and position of food sources on the... more In this study we examined the relative influence of the color and position of food sources on the feeding patterns of hummingbirds. We studied ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubns) in the field and rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorous rufus) in the laboratory. The field experiments demonstrated that the use of equally profitable feeders in arrays is more strongly influenced by position than by color. This suggests that hummingbirds learn and remember the locations of profitable food sources and return to them preferentially if the reward continues to be adequate. The laboratory experiments demonstrated that although hummingbirds learn quickly to return to a single profitable feeder in a linear array of unprofitable ones if it is marked by a consistent color cue, their learning is strongly influenced by position in the absence of color cues. This suggests that hummingbirds' spatial memory may be limited in resolution and that they may use visible landmarks to improve thei...
phus marmoratus), a small seabird that nests in old forests of coastal British Columbia, is of in... more phus marmoratus), a small seabird that nests in old forests of coastal British Columbia, is of international conservation concern. Beginning in 2001 the Canadian Marbled Murrelet Recovery Team () undertook a threepart conservation assessment for the species. The assessment will form the basis of a revised national Marbled Murrelet Recovery Strategy and inform revisions to the provincial Identified Wildlife Management Strategy and land-use planning initiatives. This note summarizes the risk assessment component (Part C; Steventon et al. 2003) of the conservation assessment. Our goal was to assess the effects of alternative broadscale forest management objectives (amounts, types, and sizes of coastal forest stands) on the relative probability of persistence of regional and coast-wide murrelet populations. We used habitat-based population viability analysis () in this assessment. Population viability analysis is a well known science-based means of projecting the cumulative effe...
Ecological Indicators, 2015
Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Feb 1, 2004
Various patterns of harvest in forests influence the length of road and number of stream crossing... more Various patterns of harvest in forests influence the length of road and number of stream crossings required. Snags are removed directly by harvesting, but they are also removed along road and opening edges to ensure worker safety. To assess the potential impacts of rate of harvest and pattern of harvest in an old-forest-dominated montane landscape, we developed a spatially explicit landscape dynamics model, which includes submodels for snag removal, harvesting activities, and access management. The model assesses the amount of new road construction and number of streams crossed by new roads, as well as changes in snag density and configuration across the landscape over a time horizon of several decades, in response to various harvesting patterns. We estimated that a dispersed 40-ha cutblock harvest pattern required about one-third more kilometres of new road over a 50-year period and removal of up to 70% more snags per hectare of harvest for safety purposes, compared with a harvest pattern based on natural-patch size distribution. Each 20% increase in stand-level retention resulted in a roughly equivalent increase in new road required. Up to eight times as many snags were removed per hectare of harvest for safety purposes at a stand-level retention of 70% than at a stand-level retention of 10%. The model appears to be an effective tool for determining the future impact of various harvest-pattern options on a number of important indicators of ecological impact.
Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 2006
The Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus Gmelin) is a small threatened seabird of the Pacif... more The Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus Gmelin) is a small threatened seabird of the Pacific coast of North America. Through simulation modelling we varied the long-term minimum amounts and quality (nesting density) of old-forest nesting habitat to examine effects on murrelet population viability, our measure of population resilience. Applying diffusion approximations we estimated population longevity and persistence probability under uncertainties of at-sea demography and onshore edge effects affecting nesting success, time scale, spatial scale, and subpopulation structure. We cast our analysis in a Bayesian belief and decision network framework. We also applied the framework to spatially explicit land-use and murrelet inventory data for the northern mainland region of the British Columbia coast. We found a diminishing expected value of persistence probability (EVP), for a single independent population, below a nesting capacity of ≈5000 nesting pairs (≈15 000 birds), accelerating below 2000 pairs. A strategy of multiple semi-independent subpopulations provided a higher joint EVP across a wide range of total nesting capacity. There was little improvement in EVP, for any number of subpopulations, above 10 000 -12 000 pairs (≈36 000 birds, 45%-60% of coastwide population estimate in 2001). Depending on estimates of nesting density, 12 000 pairs would require between 0.6 and 1.2 million ha of potential old-forest nesting habitat.
Can J Zool, 1982
Page 1. Nest-site characteristics of the avian community in the dune-ridge forest, Delta Marsh, M... more Page 1. Nest-site characteristics of the avian community in the dune-ridge forest, Delta Marsh, Manitoba: a multivariate analysis1 DAVID I. MACKENZIE,~ SPENCER G. SEALY, AND GLENN D. SUTHERLAND~ Department of ...
Journal of Ecosystems and Management, May 27, 2011
Habitat occupancy models were developed for 10 vertebrate species that we expected would demonstr... more Habitat occupancy models were developed for 10 vertebrate species that we expected would demonstrate a gradient of response to extensive losses of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and other linked habitat alterations resulting from the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) infestation and gradual changes in regional climate. A process-based Bayesian Belief Network approach was used to develop interlinked species models focussed at two levels of land management: (1) the forest stand level including changes in forest overstorey and understorey species composition, within-stand structures, canopy closure, and amounts of standing and fallen deadwood; and (2) the landscape level including changes in size of habitat patches, seral stage composition, and proximity to roads. We also considered indirect influences of broad ecological changes including alteration of some key species interactions (e.g., displacement from preferred habitat and [or] increased risk of mortality). We used results of this modelling to provide preliminary predictions of species occupancy in a large area of British Columbia designated by the Nature Conservancy of Canada as their Central Interior ecoregion. This work demonstrates an approach to building species occupancy models capable of representing the effects of large-scale disturbances on habitat supply at both the stand and landscape levels of habitat management. The resultant occupancy maps are also useful when integrated into various strategic planning initiatives including species recovery, silvicultural investments, and long-term conservation planning.
Can J Zool, 1982
... GLENN D. SUTHERLAND, CLIFTON LEE GASS, PETER A. THOMPSON, AND KENNETH P. LERTZMAN ... of terr... more ... GLENN D. SUTHERLAND, CLIFTON LEE GASS, PETER A. THOMPSON, AND KENNETH P. LERTZMAN ... of territorial individuals in nearby habitats showed that these birds spent less time foraging and more time perching than birds in even high-quality subalpine meadows. ...
Ecology, Jun 1, 1996
... GLENN D. SUTHERLAND Centre for Applied Conservation Biology, Faculty of Forestry, University ... more ... GLENN D. SUTHERLAND Centre for Applied Conservation Biology, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4 ... In upper slope forests and on rocky outcrops at lower elevations western hemlock, western ...
Journal of Ecosystems and Management, Apr 24, 2004
Designing policies for long-term forest management is difficult, in part because ecological proce... more Designing policies for long-term forest management is difficult, in part because ecological processes that drive forest structure and composition interact strongly, both spatially and temporally, with the many values we want to obtain from the forest. Using the Robson Valley in east-central British Columbia as a study area, we developed a spatio-temporal landscape model to assess the effects of uncertainties about stand-replacing natural disturbance regimes on indicators related to the sustainability of forest harvesting and biodiversity. Results show that key timber policy indicators were relatively less sensitive to natural disturbance regime parameters than were the biodiversity indicators of seral stage distribution and tree species composition. The other biodiversity indicator we examined, structural connectivity among old-forest patches, was among those indicators least sensitive to any of the parameters we varied. Other timber supply indicators-including non-recoverable losses, and volumes and areas disturbed-were the most sensitive to both the particular natural disturbance agent chosen and to the parameters describing its behaviour. Projections of a range of scenarios for present and alternative natural disturbance and management regimes for the study area show that most indicators varied from less than 1% up to 93% from the value of the present management/disturbance regime. Generally, three alternative management policies had weak-to-moderate capabilities of reducing effects of natural disturbances. Despite the range of uncertainties explored, the results provided little indication that, at the scale of the whole study area, current timber-harvesting targets are not sustainable over the long term. However, our findings highlight the lack of knowledge about the future, particularly about changes in climate, resulting in significant uncertainty about the future condition of the forest and about future forest-management opportunities.
Canadian Field-Naturalist, 2000
The use of trade or firm names in this publication is for reader information and does not imply e... more The use of trade or firm names in this publication is for reader information and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of any product or sen/ice. Intermountain Research Station 324 25th Street Ogden, UT 84401 User's Manual for Western Root Disease Model Tree root diseases pervade forested lands of the United States. Timber losses caused by root diseases have been estimated to average nearly 240 million cubic feet per year (Smith 1984). Root diseases typically originate from infected stumps of previous stands and spread to root systems of other trees in the immediate vicinity (Thies 1984; Wargo and Shaw 1985). The ability of these diseases to survive for many years in roots and stumps and to spread in stands throughout a rotation (possibly without early detection) imposes constraints on the management prescriptions available for regenerating stands (Bloomberg and others 1980). Management practices such as transplanting of trees, deep planting, partial cutting, fire prevention, or excessive removal of imderstory biomass may initiate or enhance the spread of one or more root diseases (Wargo 1980). Other practices, including use of diseaseresistant tree species, trenching around infection centers, and careful cutting and commercial thinning methods, are known to reduce root disease impacts (Shaw and Roth 1978). In response to managers' concerns for lack of information about the future development of diseased stands, a model was designed to predict the spread and impact of pathogenic Armillaria spp. or Phellinus weirii (Murr. [Gilbn.]) in mixed species, multiaged stands in the Western United States. The model was developed through a series of workshops in which the knowledge of many experts on the biology and management of root diseases was captured (Brookes 1985 and appendix I). With this information, and after several rounds of refinement, the model was produced; it currently operates in conjunction with the Prognosis Model for Stand Development. Details on the process of model development appear in Shaw and others (1985), Eav and Shaw (1987), and McNamee and others (1985). The combined Prognosis/Root Disease Model can be used with existing forest inventories to evaluate possible outcomes of silvicultural prescriptions and root disease control activities for sites where root disease may influence stand development. Its uses include long-term planning for management of stands affected by root disease and for highlighting potential uncertainties and research needs for better understanding of root disease dynamics and effects. To model effects of silviculture on root-disease organisms, and their effects on stand dynamics, requires a model of stand development that can represent stands of mixed species and ages. Furthermore, the stand model should represent the species and sizes of regeneration that are expected to fill openings created by tree mortality. The Stand Prognosis Model described by Stage (1973) and Wykoff and others (1982) has these capabilities. In addition, it is extensively used for examining and evaluating alternative stand management practices in the Western United States. The Prognosis Model is intended to produce estimates of realizable yield. Growth statistics calculated by the model include the average effects of factors such as climatic variation, past management activities, and pest damage as they are applied to the individual tree classes that make up the stand. One or more "extensions" to the Prognosis Model must be used to explicitly include interactions
The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this publication is for the information and conve... more The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this publication is for the information and convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the Government of British Columbia of any product or service to the exclusion of any others that may also be suitable. Contents of this report are presented for discussion purposes only. Funding assistance does not imply endorsement of any statements or information contained herein by the Government of British Columbia. Uniform Resource Locators (urls), addresses, and contact information contained in this document are current at the time of printing unless otherwise noted.dation of modelled habitat classifications for the northern spotted owl in British Columbia using patterns of historical occupancy. Validation of modelled habitat classifications for the Northern Spotted Owl in British Columbia using patterns of historical occupancy / Glenn D. Sutherland ... [et al.]. Includes bibliographical refer...
Forests, 2022
Cumulative effects of increased forest harvesting, mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae;... more Cumulative effects of increased forest harvesting, mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae; MPB) outbreaks, and wildfire in low-elevation lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forests could limit long-term winter habitat supply for the northern group of southern mountain caribou (Rangifer tarandus). In a 17 year longitudinal study of vegetation remeasurements at eight sites in north-central and west-central British Columbia (BC), we assessed responses of terrestrial caribou forage lichen abundances to nine forest harvesting treatments and one prescribed burn 8–14 years following treatment, as well as to MPB attack. Overall, after initially declining following forest harvesting, mean forage lichen abundance increased between 1 and 2 years post-harvest and 13 and 14 years post-harvest at 10 of 11 site/treatment combinations. Mean forage lichen abundance decreased following MPB attack at all sites. Biophysical factors influencing rates of lichen recovery post-disturbance include site t...
Ecological Applications, 2022
Recovering endangered species is a difficult and often controversial task that challenges status ... more Recovering endangered species is a difficult and often controversial task that challenges status quo land uses. Southern Mountain caribou are a threatened ecotype of caribou that historically ranged in southwestern Canada and northwestern USA and epitomize the tension between resource extraction, biodiversity conservation, and Indigenous Peoples' treaty rights. Human-induced habitat alteration is considered the ultimate cause of caribou population declines, whereby an increased abundance of primary prey-such as moose and deer-elevates predator populations and creates unsustainable caribou mortality. Here we focus on the Klinse-Za and Quintette subpopulations, part of the endangered Central Group of Southern Mountain caribou in British Columbia. These subpopulations were trending toward immediate extirpation until a collaborative group initiated recovery by implementing two short-term recovery actions. We test the effectiveness of these recovery actionsmaternity penning of adult females and their calves, and the reduction of a primary predator, wolves-in increasing vital rates and population growth. Klinse-Za received both recovery actions, whereas Quintette only received wolf reductions, providing an opportunity to test efficacy between recovery actions. Between 1995 and 2021, we followed 162 collared female caribou for 414 animal-years to estimate survival and used aerial counts to estimate population abundance and calf recruitment. We combined these data in an integrated population model to estimate female population growth, total population abundance, and recovery action effectiveness. Results suggest that the subpopulations were declining rapidly (λ = 0.90-0.93) before interventions and would have been functionally extirpated (<10 animals) within 10-15 years. Wolf reduction increased population growth rates by~0.12 for each subpopulation. Wolf reduction halted the decline of Quintette caribou and allowed them to increase (λ = 1.05), but alone would have only stabilized the Klinse-Za
Biological Conservation, 2021
Abstract How to mitigate the impacts of anthropogenic habitat alteration and restore ecological p... more Abstract How to mitigate the impacts of anthropogenic habitat alteration and restore ecological processes has become an imperative question facing applied ecology. One high-profile example in Canada is boreal woodland caribou, which are declining across North America largely due to anthropogenic habitat alteration and associated changes to predator-prey dynamics. Habitat restoration is increasingly being implemented to recover habitat, as is mandated by federal law. But given the extent of the disturbance and the cost to conduct restoration, evaluating the effectiveness of restoration treatments is needed for effective recovery of caribou populations. We evaluated the effectiveness of silvicultural treatments to reduce predator (wolf and bear) and prey (moose and caribou) use of linear features using a multiple lines of evidence approach. All four species were less likely to be present at treated sites than untreated sites, and daily photo capture rates of moose and wolves when present at treated sites also declined; though effect sizes were typically small. Complimenting the camera-based results, individual moose, bears, and wolves monitored with GPS collars also showed a decline in the use of treated linear features, particularly those with higher intensity treatments, though the response was non-significant. The reduction in the use of treated lines did not scale-up into a significant decline in overall line-use within the treatment area. While we found more evidence than not supporting that animals reduced use of the restoration sites, our study highlights the complexity of monitoring and evaluating the success of habitat restoration. Understanding long-term responses is imperative to ensure habitat restoration is effective.
The issue of Woodland caribou decline has been identified corporately as a top environmental prio... more The issue of Woodland caribou decline has been identified corporately as a top environmental priority for Cenovus energy Inc. Pursuant to this priority, a habitat centric environmental strategy and performance commitments have been developed. Beginning in 2008, Cenovus began applied investigation into the use of silviculture techniques for accelerated restoration, emphasizing the bog and fen forest site types that are characteristic of Boreal caribou habitat. In a larger scale project called LiDea, restoration treatments were ultimately applied to linear features throughout an area of 370 km 2 within the Cold Lake herd range. As indicated by metrics at the site level, as well as GPS collar re-locations, plant and animal response to restoration treatment are positive from a caribou perspective. Results from the LiDea series of projects have been strong enough to warrant the extension of these forest habitat restoration methods to the landscape scale.
Effective action planning for recovering endangered populations of boreal caribou (Rangifer taran... more Effective action planning for recovering endangered populations of boreal caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) requires an understanding of the functional interactions between: (1) responses by predators to current and prospective future habitat conditions, (2) responses of prey to population and habitat conditions influencing apparent competition, and (3) residual effects of past population bottlenecks. Monitoring recovery trajectories when human-altered habitats are restored requires consideration of many cause-effect linkages operating among multiple species and across multiple ecological scales. We developed a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) to help frame potential functional responses of 2 predators (wolves, bears) and 2 prey (moose, caribou) to a large-scaled, silviculturally-based, habitat restoration experiment conducted within the Cold Lake caribou herd area in the Alberta oil sands. The full BBN consists of three general components: (1) those related to predator and prey move...
Journal of Animal Ecology, 2019
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which... more This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Canadian Journal of Zoology, 1985
In this study we examined the relative influence of the color and position of food sources on the... more In this study we examined the relative influence of the color and position of food sources on the feeding patterns of hummingbirds. We studied ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubns) in the field and rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorous rufus) in the laboratory. The field experiments demonstrated that the use of equally profitable feeders in arrays is more strongly influenced by position than by color. This suggests that hummingbirds learn and remember the locations of profitable food sources and return to them preferentially if the reward continues to be adequate. The laboratory experiments demonstrated that although hummingbirds learn quickly to return to a single profitable feeder in a linear array of unprofitable ones if it is marked by a consistent color cue, their learning is strongly influenced by position in the absence of color cues. This suggests that hummingbirds' spatial memory may be limited in resolution and that they may use visible landmarks to improve thei...
phus marmoratus), a small seabird that nests in old forests of coastal British Columbia, is of in... more phus marmoratus), a small seabird that nests in old forests of coastal British Columbia, is of international conservation concern. Beginning in 2001 the Canadian Marbled Murrelet Recovery Team () undertook a threepart conservation assessment for the species. The assessment will form the basis of a revised national Marbled Murrelet Recovery Strategy and inform revisions to the provincial Identified Wildlife Management Strategy and land-use planning initiatives. This note summarizes the risk assessment component (Part C; Steventon et al. 2003) of the conservation assessment. Our goal was to assess the effects of alternative broadscale forest management objectives (amounts, types, and sizes of coastal forest stands) on the relative probability of persistence of regional and coast-wide murrelet populations. We used habitat-based population viability analysis () in this assessment. Population viability analysis is a well known science-based means of projecting the cumulative effe...
Ecological Indicators, 2015
Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Feb 1, 2004
Various patterns of harvest in forests influence the length of road and number of stream crossing... more Various patterns of harvest in forests influence the length of road and number of stream crossings required. Snags are removed directly by harvesting, but they are also removed along road and opening edges to ensure worker safety. To assess the potential impacts of rate of harvest and pattern of harvest in an old-forest-dominated montane landscape, we developed a spatially explicit landscape dynamics model, which includes submodels for snag removal, harvesting activities, and access management. The model assesses the amount of new road construction and number of streams crossed by new roads, as well as changes in snag density and configuration across the landscape over a time horizon of several decades, in response to various harvesting patterns. We estimated that a dispersed 40-ha cutblock harvest pattern required about one-third more kilometres of new road over a 50-year period and removal of up to 70% more snags per hectare of harvest for safety purposes, compared with a harvest pattern based on natural-patch size distribution. Each 20% increase in stand-level retention resulted in a roughly equivalent increase in new road required. Up to eight times as many snags were removed per hectare of harvest for safety purposes at a stand-level retention of 70% than at a stand-level retention of 10%. The model appears to be an effective tool for determining the future impact of various harvest-pattern options on a number of important indicators of ecological impact.
Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 2006
The Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus Gmelin) is a small threatened seabird of the Pacif... more The Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus Gmelin) is a small threatened seabird of the Pacific coast of North America. Through simulation modelling we varied the long-term minimum amounts and quality (nesting density) of old-forest nesting habitat to examine effects on murrelet population viability, our measure of population resilience. Applying diffusion approximations we estimated population longevity and persistence probability under uncertainties of at-sea demography and onshore edge effects affecting nesting success, time scale, spatial scale, and subpopulation structure. We cast our analysis in a Bayesian belief and decision network framework. We also applied the framework to spatially explicit land-use and murrelet inventory data for the northern mainland region of the British Columbia coast. We found a diminishing expected value of persistence probability (EVP), for a single independent population, below a nesting capacity of ≈5000 nesting pairs (≈15 000 birds), accelerating below 2000 pairs. A strategy of multiple semi-independent subpopulations provided a higher joint EVP across a wide range of total nesting capacity. There was little improvement in EVP, for any number of subpopulations, above 10 000 -12 000 pairs (≈36 000 birds, 45%-60% of coastwide population estimate in 2001). Depending on estimates of nesting density, 12 000 pairs would require between 0.6 and 1.2 million ha of potential old-forest nesting habitat.
Can J Zool, 1982
Page 1. Nest-site characteristics of the avian community in the dune-ridge forest, Delta Marsh, M... more Page 1. Nest-site characteristics of the avian community in the dune-ridge forest, Delta Marsh, Manitoba: a multivariate analysis1 DAVID I. MACKENZIE,~ SPENCER G. SEALY, AND GLENN D. SUTHERLAND~ Department of ...
Journal of Ecosystems and Management, May 27, 2011
Habitat occupancy models were developed for 10 vertebrate species that we expected would demonstr... more Habitat occupancy models were developed for 10 vertebrate species that we expected would demonstrate a gradient of response to extensive losses of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and other linked habitat alterations resulting from the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) infestation and gradual changes in regional climate. A process-based Bayesian Belief Network approach was used to develop interlinked species models focussed at two levels of land management: (1) the forest stand level including changes in forest overstorey and understorey species composition, within-stand structures, canopy closure, and amounts of standing and fallen deadwood; and (2) the landscape level including changes in size of habitat patches, seral stage composition, and proximity to roads. We also considered indirect influences of broad ecological changes including alteration of some key species interactions (e.g., displacement from preferred habitat and [or] increased risk of mortality). We used results of this modelling to provide preliminary predictions of species occupancy in a large area of British Columbia designated by the Nature Conservancy of Canada as their Central Interior ecoregion. This work demonstrates an approach to building species occupancy models capable of representing the effects of large-scale disturbances on habitat supply at both the stand and landscape levels of habitat management. The resultant occupancy maps are also useful when integrated into various strategic planning initiatives including species recovery, silvicultural investments, and long-term conservation planning.
Can J Zool, 1982
... GLENN D. SUTHERLAND, CLIFTON LEE GASS, PETER A. THOMPSON, AND KENNETH P. LERTZMAN ... of terr... more ... GLENN D. SUTHERLAND, CLIFTON LEE GASS, PETER A. THOMPSON, AND KENNETH P. LERTZMAN ... of territorial individuals in nearby habitats showed that these birds spent less time foraging and more time perching than birds in even high-quality subalpine meadows. ...
Ecology, Jun 1, 1996
... GLENN D. SUTHERLAND Centre for Applied Conservation Biology, Faculty of Forestry, University ... more ... GLENN D. SUTHERLAND Centre for Applied Conservation Biology, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4 ... In upper slope forests and on rocky outcrops at lower elevations western hemlock, western ...
Journal of Ecosystems and Management, Apr 24, 2004
Designing policies for long-term forest management is difficult, in part because ecological proce... more Designing policies for long-term forest management is difficult, in part because ecological processes that drive forest structure and composition interact strongly, both spatially and temporally, with the many values we want to obtain from the forest. Using the Robson Valley in east-central British Columbia as a study area, we developed a spatio-temporal landscape model to assess the effects of uncertainties about stand-replacing natural disturbance regimes on indicators related to the sustainability of forest harvesting and biodiversity. Results show that key timber policy indicators were relatively less sensitive to natural disturbance regime parameters than were the biodiversity indicators of seral stage distribution and tree species composition. The other biodiversity indicator we examined, structural connectivity among old-forest patches, was among those indicators least sensitive to any of the parameters we varied. Other timber supply indicators-including non-recoverable losses, and volumes and areas disturbed-were the most sensitive to both the particular natural disturbance agent chosen and to the parameters describing its behaviour. Projections of a range of scenarios for present and alternative natural disturbance and management regimes for the study area show that most indicators varied from less than 1% up to 93% from the value of the present management/disturbance regime. Generally, three alternative management policies had weak-to-moderate capabilities of reducing effects of natural disturbances. Despite the range of uncertainties explored, the results provided little indication that, at the scale of the whole study area, current timber-harvesting targets are not sustainable over the long term. However, our findings highlight the lack of knowledge about the future, particularly about changes in climate, resulting in significant uncertainty about the future condition of the forest and about future forest-management opportunities.