Scientific Assessment to Inform the Identification of Critical Habitat for Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Boreal Population, in Canada - 2011 Update

Broad scale

Upland tundra dominated by ericaceous shrubs (Ericaceae spp.), lichen, grasses and sedges.
Lowland tundra composed of peatland complexes (muskeg and string bogs), lakes, rivers and riparian valleys.
Dense mature conifer and open conifer forests with abundant lichens.^{1, 2}

Calving

String bogs, treed bogs, small open wetlands (<1 km²) and large muskeg.^{1, 3}
Calving on peninsulas and islands increases with amount of open water.^{1, 4}

Post-calving

Forested wetlands.¹

Rutting

Open wetlands.¹

Winter

Forested areas are used in years of low snow accumulation, otherwise winter habitat selection reflects general avoidance of deep snow, including use of tundra habitat at higher elevations in mountainous regions and bogs along lakes or oceans.^{5, 6}
Forested wetlands.⁶
Tundra uplands and sand flats in proximity to water.⁶
Bog edges, glacial erratics and bedrock erratics with lichen, and lakes for loafing or ruminating.^{4, 6, 7}
Some use of mature white spruce and fir stands as alternative to habitat with arboreal lichens.⁸

Travel

Connectivity between selected habitat types important given reported patterns of movement among caribou.
Some females travel 200 to 500 km from winter areas to calving sites.¹
Females show fidelity to post-calving sites returning to within 6.7 km of a given location in consecutive years.⁸

Avoidance

Avoidance of roads and areas recently burned (< 40 yrs).⁹

Broad scale

Habitats selected generally to reduce predation risk.¹
Shrub rich treed muskeg and mature conifer forests.^{1, 2}
Poorly drained areas dominated by sedges, mosses and lichens, as well as open black spruce and tamarack forests.³
Elevations of 150m.^4
4

Calving

Mature conifer stand with and without lichens and wetlands. Preference for higher altitudes compared to habitat use during other periods.¹

Post-calving

Fens, bogs and lakes.⁵

Rutting

Wetlands and conifer stands with lichen. Mature and regenerating conifer stands are also used, albeit to a lesser degree.¹

Winter

Dense and mature conifer forests with lichens and wetlands.^{1, 5}
Peatlands dominated by open bogs and terrestrial lichens.^6
7

Travel

Movements greatest in fall/winter when caribou transition from calving to winter habitat.^8
2

Avoidance

Avoid herbaceous areas and areas burned within 40 yrs.⁴
Deciduous-dominated forests, lichen woodlands and lichen heaths avoided during winter.⁶
Avoidance of human development (e.g. roads) provided sufficient caribou habitat remains.^{1, 4
1}

Broad scale

Conifer-feather moss forests on poorly-drained sites and mature conifer uplands with abundant terrestrial lichen.^{1, 2}
Water bodies and wetlands are also selected.²
Elevations of 300 m.3
Intermediate values of NDVI.³
Selection for regenerating burns >40 yrs old.³

Calving

Open wetlands, peninsulas and islands for calving in northeastern Québec.⁴
Sedges, ericaceous species, bryophytes, alder and larch selected in spring in eastern regions (NF&L).⁵
Balsam fir, dense black spruce stands, spruce-fir forests older than 40 yrs, and dry bare land with high lichen densities selected in the western regions.⁶
Mature conifer stands, as well as wetlands selected in the southern regions. Higher altitudes used for calving in this area rather than lake or water bodies.²

Post-calving

Open and forested wetlands and continued use of peninsulas and islands in northeastern Québec.⁴
Aquatic plants, dwarf birch (Betula glandulosa), deciduous shrubs, ericaceous species and moss in NF&L.⁵

Rutting

Open wetlands selected in northeastern Québec.⁴
Terrestrial and arboreal lichens, forbs, sedges, mosses and coniferous and deciduous shrubs selected in NF&L.⁵
Balsam fir stands, dense spruce stands, mature and regenerating conifer stands, other forest stands with abundant lichens, wetlands and dry bare lands preferred in southern extent.^{2, 6, 7}

Winter

Forested wetlands selected in Labrador and northern Québec.³ Some use of upland-tundra for loafing³
Dry bare land, wetlands, mature conifer forests with lichen, balsam fir stands, dense spruce stands, and mixed spruce-fir forests older than 40 yrs selected in southern areas, up to 80 yrs old in other areas.^{2, 6, 7}
Use of mature forests protected from harvesting increases probability of encounters with wolves that select the same habitats in winter.⁷
Shallow snow depths selected in late winter.⁷

Travel

Caribou move greater distances during the rutting season.⁴

Avoidance

Avoid deciduous and mixed forests, jack pine forests less than 40 yrs old and heaths without lichens all year round.^{6, 7, 8}
Avoid disturbed habitats, including roads, recreational areas, burns and clear-cuts or harvested areas used by wolves.^{2, 3, 6, 7, 8}

Broad scale

Late seral-stage black spruce-dominated lowlands and jack pine-dominated uplands.¹
Elevations of 300 m.²
Intermediate values of NDVI.²
Selection for old (>40 yrs) burns.²

Calving

Open, medium-closed conifer forests.³

Post-calving

Not available.

Rutting

Dense and open mature conifer forests of spruce, tamarack, jack pine and young conifer forests between 30 to 50 yrs old.³

Winter

Charlevoix caribou select open stands of balsam fir, balsam fir-black spruce, black spruce, black-spruce-tamarack and jack pine stands older than 70 yrs. Dry bare lands, 30 to 50 yrs old stands of balsam fir or fir-black spruce, as well as 50 yr old jack pine stands, and arboreal and terrestrial lichens are also selected.^{3, 5}

Travel

Not available.

Avoidance

Avoidance of roads and burns <50 yrs old.², ⁴

Broad scale

Late seral-stage black spruce-dominated lowlands and jack pine dominated uplands.^{1, 2, 3}
Open black spruce lowlands are selected near the Québec/Ontario border.³
Low-density late seral-stage jack pine or black spruce forests and black spruce/tamarack-dominated peatlands with abundant terrestrial and moderate arboreal lichens are selected in areas of Ontario.^{3, 4, 5, 6}
Caribou also use areas with dry to moist sandy to loamy soils and shallow soils over bedrock.⁶
Elevations of 300 m.⁷
Intermediate values of NDVI.⁷
Selection for regenerating burns >40 yrs old.⁷

Calving

Open canopies of mature black spruce and mesic peatland with ericaceous species for calving are selected for calving in the Claybelt region.³
Females with calves selected areas with more abundant ericaceous shrubs and terrestrial lichens during the summer compared to females without calves.³

Post-calving

Not available.

Rutting

Not available.

Winter

Large areas of contiguous forests dominated by black spruce.⁸
Open conifer forests or forests with lower tree densities where terrestrial and arboreal lichen are abundant and there is significant less snow (e.g. shorelines) are also selected.^{4, 6}

Travel

Not available.

Avoidance

Avoid recently downed woody debris, dense shrubs and larch during the calving season in the Claybelt region.³
Avoid mixed conifer and deciduous forests in winter.⁸
Areas of deep snow are also avoided during winter.⁴
Avoidance of roads and recent burns (<40 yrs old).⁷

Broad scale

Mature conifer uplands and conifer/tamarack dominated lowlands.^{1, 2, 3, 4}
Conifer/tamarack-dominated peatlands with abundant arboreal lichens, upland mature conifer forests stands with abundant terrestrial lichen and rocky areas with sparse trees.^{5, 6, 7}
Elevations of 300 m.⁸
Intermediate values of NDVI.⁸
Selection for regenerating burns >40 yrs old.⁸

Calving

Forested wetlands/treed bog, old burns, sparse conifer and dense spruce selected in areas of northwestern Ontario.⁹
Peatlands, raised hillrocks with large muskeg areas, forested islands and shorelines of large lakes selected during calving.^{1, 2, 10, 11, 12}
Jack pine or jack pine/black spruce forests also used for calving in Manitoba.⁵

Post-calving

Peatland with forested islands, islands, and shorelines selected during summer.^{10, 12}
Mature, dense forest stands also selected.^{5, 13}

Rutting

Semi-open and open bogs and mature conifer uplands selected during rutting. Terrestrial lichens and arboreal lichens, sedges and bog ericoids (Andromeda glaucophylla, Chamaedaphne calyculata, Kalmia polifolia, Ledum groenlandicum) are important sources of forage.⁵

Winter

Mature coniferous stands.^{10, 14}
Areas with a high proportion of lakes (>5-100 ha) with convoluted shorelines.¹⁵
Caribou forage in areas with high lichen abundance and fewer shrubs in jack pine and black spruce stands with low tree densities, low basal areas and short heights.¹⁶
Caribou select open bogs, intermediate to mature jack pine rock ridges, jack pine habitats with lichens and lakes, but move to jack pine ridges in mature conifer stands with lichen when winter conditions prevent foraging in bogs in Manitoba in winter. ^{5, 6, 17}
Arboreal lichens, terrestrial lichens, sedges and ericaceous species are an important source of forage.¹⁸

Travel

Caribou in Ontario travel mainly in conifer forests, avoiding open habitats (e.g., lakes, disturbed areas, etc.) when migrating from summer to winter habitat.²
Use frozen lakes for travel during winter/spring, in some instances to reach islands for calving.^{1, 5, 8, 11}
Spring migration is not restricted to specific travel routes.¹²
Caribou moved 8 to 60 km away after logging operations were begun.²⁰

Avoidance

Shrub-rich fens are avoided during calving.⁹
Tamarack fens avoided during post-calving.¹²
Early successional stands, mixed softwood stands and areas with wind felled trees avoided in winter.^{14, 18}
Vesicular ice, areas with snow depths greater than 65 cm and snow crusted areas with a hardness >400g/cm² were also avoided during winter.¹⁷
Caribou used areas immediately post fire, but then gradually avoided these areas as more time elapsed.^{8, 18}
Areas where active logging is taking place are avoided.^{19, 20}
Avoidance of roads.⁸

Broad scale

Conifer/tamarack-dominated peatland complexes and upland moderate to dense mature conifer forests with abundant lichens.^{1, 2, 3}
Elevations of 300 m.⁴
Intermediate values of NDVI.⁴
Selection for old (>40 yrs) burns.⁴

Calving

Peatlands, stands dominated by black spruce and treed muskeg all used for calving.^{5, 6}
Some caribou will use islands and lakeshores during calving.^{3, 7}

Post-calving

Wooded lakeshores, islands, sparsely treed rock, upland conifer-spruce and treed muskeg are used in summer.^{8, 7}
Sites with a high abundance of arboreal lichen are important for foraging in some areas.⁹
Dense conifer and mixed forests are also used.³

Rutting

Dense and sparse conifer and mixed forests.³
Open riparian habitats are also used during the rut.¹⁰

Winter

Mature upland spruce, pine stands and treed muskeg.⁸
Jack pine dominated forests.²
In areas of Ontario, caribou select sparse and dense conifer, mixed forests and treed bogs.³
In some areas caribou will select habitat with greater visibility and further away from forest edges.⁹

Travel

Some males move >100 km during the rutting season.¹⁰
Traditional travel routes between summer and winter ranges occur in large peatland complexes in the Wabowden and Gormley area.¹¹

Avoidance

Avoid shrub-rich habitats and hardwood-dominated stands.^{1, 2, 8}
Avoidance of conifer stands that are not black spruce, deciduous stands, shrub-rich fens and wetlands during calving.^{3, 6}
Avoid recent burns and disturbed/fragmented areas, including roads.^{3, 4, 8}

Broad scale

Caribou in Boreal Plains of Alberta select late seral-stage (>50 yrs old) conifer forest and treed peatlands with abundant lichens.^{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
In northeastern Alberta, caribou habitat use restricted primarily to peatland complexes.¹
Elevations of 1135 m.⁶
Intermediate levels of NDVI.⁶
Selected old (>40 yrs) burns.⁶

Calving

Bogs and mature forests selected for calving in Alberta.^{3, 4}
In Saskatchewan, peatlands and stands dominated by black spruce and lowland black spruce stands within muskeg are used for calving.^{7, 9}

Post-calving

Forest stands older than 50 yrs.¹¹
Upland black spruce/jack pine forests, lowland black spruce, young jack pine and open and treed peatlands and muskeg are also selected during summer.^{7, 12, 13}
In some areas, sites with abundant arboreal lichen are selected during summer.¹⁴

Rutting

Mature forests.³
Upland black spruce/jack pine forests, lowland black spruce, young jack pine and open and treed peatlands and muskeg during summer.^{7, 12}

Winter

Treed peatlands, treed bog and treed fen and open fen complexes with >50% peatland coverage with high abundance of lichens.^{15, 16, 17}
Mature forest > 50 yrs old.^{3, 11}
Upland black spruce/jack pine forests, lowland black spruce, young jack pine and open and treed peatlands.^{7, 12, 13}

Travel

Not available.

Avoidance

Avoid upland and fen habitats, aspen dominated stands, immature stands and large rivers all year round.^{3, 4, 6, 9}
Avoid matrix-type habitat, including areas with abundant shrubs, disturbed/fragmented habitats, hardwood/deciduous dominated forest stands, and edge habitat.^{1, 2, 8}
Avoid recent burns, main roads, seismic lines, well sites and areas with a high density of cut blocks.^{6, 10}
Avoidance of water.⁶

Broad scale

Little Smoky population spends the entire year in subalpine and upper foothill regions in upland lodge pole pine, mixed conifer lodgepole pine/black spruce and treed muskeg.^{1 , 4, 5}
Open, pine dominated stands of 80 yrs or more.^{2, 3}

Calving

Areas closer to cut-blocks with a high proportion of larch are selected during calving.⁶

Post-calving

Homogeneous areas of conifer dominated stands.⁶

Rutting

Not available.

Winter

Caribou use areas with a high proportion of larch and pine forests during winter.⁶

Travel

Not available.

Avoidance

Avoid areas with a large proportion of cut blocks.⁶
Avoidance of seismic lines greatest during calving season.⁶
Avoid white spruce stands which generally have a low abundance of lichens⁷, aspen stands and large rivers.⁶

Broad scale

In NWT caribou prefer open coniferous habitat in all seasons of the year and in the Dehcho prefer using forest stand ages of 100 years or older.¹
Large patches of spruce peatland with reference for bogs over fens and upland and lowland black spruce forests with abundant lichens.^{2, 3}

Calving

Open conifer forests, tussock tundra, low shrub, riparian, and recent burns in northern extreme of the NWT range.⁴
In the Snake-Sahtaneh watershed of BC, caribou observed on small islands of mature black spruce or mixed forests within peatlands, in old burns at the edge of wetlands, in alder thickets with abundant standing water and on lake shores.²

Post-calving

Open coniferous forests with abundant lichen, low shrub, riparian, tussock tundra, sparsely vegetated habitat, and recent burns in the northern extreme of the NT range.⁴
Old burns and neighbouring remnant unburned forests selected in late spring, early summer in Snake-Sahtaneh watershed.²

Rutting

Open coniferous and mixedwood forests, low shrub, riparian tussock tundra, and recent burns in northern extreme of NWT range.⁴
Regenerating burns and sparsely vegetated habitat.⁴

Winter

Open coniferous forest with abundant lichen and riparian areas.^{1, 2, 4}

Travel

In NWT some female caribou have little fidelity to calving areas between years, especially in the northern portions of the range, while others show considerable fidelity over successive (2-3) years.^{5, 6}
In NWT Mean daily rates of movement increase during the rut. They are greatest in the late-winter prior to pre-calving period.^{6, 7}

Avoidance

Avoid edge habita.⁸
During calving at northern extreme of range in NWT avoid closed mixed forests and water.⁴
In northern extreme of range in NWT avoid closed deciduous and mixed forests in summer, fall, and winter. Water also avoided in fall, closed coniferous forest avoided in winter.⁴
Avoid forest stand <10 years old during summer.⁹