Identifying forests with old growth potential in the Credit River Watershed

Old growth forests provide important ecological services including carbon storage and habitats for a diverse array of species, yet they are often rare across the landscape. These forests are often challenging to identify due to the lack of concrete definitions of what constitutes old growth, as well as the lack of understanding of the typical features of old growth forests. This work aims to identify sites with old growth potential by using field and remote sensing methods to evaluate common old growth characteristics, while also developing a suite of indicator values to assist in the future identification of potential old growth sites. This project will help the partner organization address an objective of their recently developed Sustainable Forest Management Plan, contributing to the overall health and resilience of forests in the Credit River Watershed.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jay Malcolm

Student:

Zoe Bedford

Partner:

Discipline:

Forestry

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Toronto

Program: