Working Together to Understand Wildfire Impacts on Caribou Habitat

People at the 10th Anniversary celebrations of the Tłı̨chǫ Agreement held in Behchokǫ̀ in August had a chance to visit a poster and photo display and learn about two research projects that are taking place in Wek’èezhìı and, for one of the projects, in other parts of the NWT.  Tłı̨chǫ knowledge researchers and science researchers are looking at caribou habitat in the wake of forest fire—and how it is affected by fire disturbance. 

Boreal forest is habitat for Tǫdzi (Boreal caribou) year-round and wintering habitat for Ekwǫ̀ (Barrenground caribou).  Last summer’s extreme wildfires coated many forest floors in the NWT in black ash.  Now, a year later, there are signs of life here and there –fireweed, aspen saplings, moss, and other vegetation.  Are caribou using recently burned areas?  If not, how long will it take for burn areas to recover to the point where caribou return to forage there? Which vegetation species are returning after forest fire?  How are lichens, caribou’s principal winter food, faring? What are the effects of forest fire disturbance on caribou habitat –and on caribou?

They are important questions as wildfires have burned increasingly large areas, and with a warming climate, that trend is expected to continue. And they are questions that researchers are investigating in the two projects that are underway--one using Tłı̨chǫ knowledge research; the other, science.  These two parallel studies are both looking at similar questions and examining the interactions between fire and caribou from different perspectives.  Bringing their findings together can lead to a better understanding of how the boreal forest recovers after forest fire and what that means for boreal caribou –a species listed as Threatened under both the federal and NWT Species at Risk acts.

“I see the intersection of science and traditional knowledge as holding exciting possibilities with respect to our understanding of past and future changes in northern ecosystems.”

– Dr. Jennifer Baltzer, Associate Professor of Biology and Canada Research Chair in Forest and Global Change, Wilfrid Laurier University

A  Tłı̨chǫ knowledge research and monitoring project is examining the different kinds of vegetation that tǫdzi eat and the condition of the habitat at various sites, gathering information to help answer the question “When do caribou return to areas that have been disturbed by fire?”  A research team from Wilfrid Laurier University is conducting a scientific study focusing on the vegetation communities associated with tǫdzi and ekwǫ̀ habitat, collecting data to better understand the impacts of wildfire extent and severity on caribou habitat.  The Tłı̨chǫ knowledge research will add to the science by considering the characteristics and behaviour of tǫdzi.  Where do tǫdzi prefer to spend their time and when do they return to areas that have been burned?   These projects will contribute to a growing body of research on how forest fires affect habitat in the NWT and provide wildlife managers with improved knowledge for planning in the future. 

Photo:  Jennifer Baltzer

Both research teams had a chance to meet people and talk about their projects in Behchokǫ̀.  Dr. Allice Legat, Principal Researcher for the Tłı̨chǫ knowledge research project, and Dr. Jennifer Baltzer, project lead for the Wilfrid Laurier project, were there to describe the focus of their research and what has been done to date.   Their display also featured a map of the fire history within the Mǫwhì Gogha Dè Nı̨ı̨tłèè area from 1940 up to 2014.  A second map showed examples of tǫdzi habitat and forest fires around Whatì. There were photos showing the research activities and habitat at different sample sites.  People were curious about the kinds of vegetation that were coming back after the fires and about the kinds of activities researchers in both projects carried out in the field.   There are pictures of the display in Behchokǫ̀ in the Photo Gallery at the end of this article.

The research teams are looking forward to attending other community events where they can share scientific and Tłı̨chǫ knowledge on tǫdzi habitat and habitat use after forest fire.