Mountain Pine Beetle Habitat Supply Modelling
This site is dedicated to informing our partners and the public on the status of our research project concerning wildlife habitat supply impacted by the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae; MPB) outbreak and is part of a network of projects concerned with research in wildlife habitat supply and forest ecosystem modelling.
During this decade, large-scale alterations to the structure and composition of the forests of Central British Columbia are underway due to the direct effects of a historically unprecedented MPB outbreak (Eng et al. 2005), and indirect effects of climate change. In particular, changes in both overstory and understory composition and structure, resulting from both MPB-induced mortality, and timber salvaging activities, are likely to alter the availability of suitable wildlife habitat for many wildlife species. There is a pressing need for forest and wildlife managers to determine appropriate strategies to enhance the adaptive capacity of wildlife populations to the current MPB outbreak. Information is required on what areas have lower habitat value and are appropriate for forest salvaging and related activities and which areas have high habitat value where harvesting should be minimized; in addition, where can stand tending lead to an accelerated recruitment of good wildlife habitat (Bunnell et al. 2004).
The goal of this project is to identify those wildlife species that will be most adversely impacted by the current MPB outbreak and management responses, and to identify forest and land management strategies that may enhance those species resilience to the potential changes in landscape condition. The results of this project can also be applied in developing adaptation strategies to the impacts that climate change may have on wildlife species. The current MPB outbreak is likely a result of climate change with further shifts in landscape condition, habitat availability and overall environmental condition forecasted for the future.