The Woodland Caribou
Forest management practices consider the specific needs of different woodland caribou populations across Canada, and most forest companies operating in caribou habitat have some form of access management to limit the effects of humans and predators on caribou.
In regions with caribou populations, land and resource management plans and forest management plans identify areas where harvesting is allowed and the best methods to maintain appropriate caribou habitat.
Research shows it is better to log a few large patches rather than many smaller ones so there are fewer roads, there is less habitat and landscape fragmentation, the site is less attractive to moose and deer that draw predators, and the area more closely resembles caribou habitat when it grows back in 50 to 150 years. |
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- The Boreal provides habitat for a wide range of mammals, such as moose, wolves, caribou, bears, rodents, rabbits, lynx and mink.
- It is home to the largest mammal on the North American continent - the wood bison - and the smallest, the pygmy shrew.
- Bird populations are the most dynamic of boreal wildlife. While some species, such as finches, chickadees, crows, owls, ravens and woodpeckers, remain year-round, most migrate. About half of Canada's 450 avian species use the boreal forest, and up to five billion birds fly south and return north each year. The boreal forest and its wetlands are an important breeding and nesting habitat for these birds.
- Woodland caribou are found in large tracts of mature and old-growth coniferous forests that have large quantities of terrestrial and arboreal (tree-inhabiting) lichens.
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