Post-fire Caribou Habitat Regeneration in Ulkatcho Territory

Woodland caribou in the West Chilcotin are Threatened and face population decline due to habitat loss and increased predation. In winter, caribou in this area are dependant on lichen foraging underneath the snowpack, with mature lodgepole pine forests providing suitable lichen availability and predator avoidance. For the Rainbows Mountains and Itcha-Ilgachuz caribou herds, pine beetle outbreak and forestry has severely reduced the size and quality of winter habitat. Both of these herds are in long-term decline, and the nearby Charlotte Alpands herd is believed to be already extirpated. As wildfires increase in frequency and intensity across British Columbia, uncertainty remains on how caribou lichens regenerate following wildfire. This research studies the effects of wildfire on lichen and caribou habitat regeneration in Ulkatcho Territory, and will also investigate post- fire regeneration of culturally important vegetation speciessoopolallie, Labrador tea and pine mushroom.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jill Harvey

Student:

Partner:

Chunta Resources Society

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

Thompson Rivers University

Program: