Description:
This final report provides an update for projects that The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is leading on behalf of the Partners at the WCC in 2023-24, as part of the Kootenay Connect initiative. At the Complex, changes to the natural fire regime caused by decades of wildfire suppression efforts have been the main reason for the reduction of high-quality habitat for the focal SAR. Grassland and open range conditions are gradually transitioning into conifer forests through in-growth and encroachment processes. With this change, many habitat attributes necessary to sustain populations of Lewis’s woodpecker, American badger, and Williamson’s sapsucker are being impaired. In Wycliffe, it has become clear that one of the most effective ways to improve habitat for these species is to reduce young forest densities and promote the transition to mature open forest stands. The prescriptions for American badger and Lewis’s woodpecker include reducing conifer stem density through forest thinning. Based on previous prescriptions for Williamson’s sapsucker, habitat enhancements include reducing tree density through thinning and creation of suitable colonial ant nest habitat by increasing downed woody debris levels.

Keywords: species at risk; grassland; restoration; fire treatment

Authors:

Organization: Nature Conservancy of Canada

Category: Forest & Grassland Restoration for Species at Risk

Focal Area: Wycliffe

Resource Type: Report

Year: 2024