Impact of prescribed fire and grazing management on grassland plant and songbird communities

This project will examine bird-habitat relationships at the Nature Conservancy of Canada Old Man on His Back Conservation area. Understanding how conservation grasslands can be managed to maintain high quality Species at Risk habitat is critically important for Canada to meet its obligations under the Species at Risk Act. We have three objectives: 1) determine the long-term impacts of prescribed fire on songbirds by comparing songbird abundances and habitat metrics between areas burned by prescribed fire and adjacent control areas, 2) compare plant community structure between three grazing regimes (summer bison grazing, winter bison grazing, and summer cattle grazing), and 3) compare songbird abundance between the three grazing regimes. NCC has a mandate to manage and maintain the ecological integrity of their land. Grazing is critical to maintain the conservation value of grassland ecosystems; this proposal will provide clear answers to guide specific grazing management decisions on Mixed grass prairie.

Faculty Supervisor:

Eric Lamb;Stephen Davis

Student:

Partner:

Nature Conservancy of Canada

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture; Other services (except public administration)

University:

University of Saskatchewan

Program: