Presentation Title
The Need for Multifaceted and Sustainable Management Strategies: Fire, Forestry and Range
Abstract
As ninety-four percent of British Columbia is Crown land owned by the Provincial Government, there are considerable overlapping resource needs within the natural resource sector. As much of British Columbia’s Crown land management is multifaceted, understanding the dynamic landscape is integral to sustainable ecosystem management. Additionally, British Columbia has historically received significant large-scale wildfire activity. Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency of these disturbance events moving forwards, making fire management even more vital. This study aims to understand how methods of fire fuel management influence range management activities on Crown land, such as forage production, in addition to creating a better understanding of the variables influenced by fire fuel management. As many cattle tenures within British Columbia directly overlap with forestry tenures, understanding the influences that the forest industry has on the cattle industry, and vice-versa, is important for proper inclusive ecosystem management. Forage availability is the main factor that influences the number of animals that can be put out on range, and this directly affects ranching profits. This study specifically considers cattle; however, the importance of forage can be applied to any domesticated animal or wildlife. The results of this study will benefit the overall scientific development of multifaceted approaches towards resource management of our Crown land.
Department
Natural Resource Science
Faculty Advisor
Rob Higgins
The Need for Multifaceted and Sustainable Management Strategies: Fire, Forestry and Range
As ninety-four percent of British Columbia is Crown land owned by the Provincial Government, there are considerable overlapping resource needs within the natural resource sector. As much of British Columbia’s Crown land management is multifaceted, understanding the dynamic landscape is integral to sustainable ecosystem management. Additionally, British Columbia has historically received significant large-scale wildfire activity. Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency of these disturbance events moving forwards, making fire management even more vital. This study aims to understand how methods of fire fuel management influence range management activities on Crown land, such as forage production, in addition to creating a better understanding of the variables influenced by fire fuel management. As many cattle tenures within British Columbia directly overlap with forestry tenures, understanding the influences that the forest industry has on the cattle industry, and vice-versa, is important for proper inclusive ecosystem management. Forage availability is the main factor that influences the number of animals that can be put out on range, and this directly affects ranching profits. This study specifically considers cattle; however, the importance of forage can be applied to any domesticated animal or wildlife. The results of this study will benefit the overall scientific development of multifaceted approaches towards resource management of our Crown land.