Amphibians are important because they provide keystone ecological functions in forest soils and wetlands. In recognition of their importance, there is growing scientific concern and a sense of urgency about the rapid decline in species, distributions, and population numbers on a global scale. Little is known about the extent, distribution or ecology of amphibian populations in northern British Columbia. This multi-year project sets a long-term goal to monitor population trends and study the ecology of amphibian populations in the Central Interior of BC. Distribution patterns of long-toed salamanders, western-toads, wood and spotted frogs are being studied in the Aleza Lake Research Forest, the John Prince Research Forest and forested lands adjacent to UNBC. We hypothesize that there is a single population in each study area having uniform dispersal and migration networks running through a heterogeneous patchwork of wetland and terrestrial ecosystems. Our study design tests for isolated breeding patches versus random mating among sites by measuring the extent of gene flow and genetic structure from captured individuals. Since environmental and life history attributes affect dispersal and migration we also compare skin coloration, age group and gender among habitat types. Conservation strategies mitigating the effects of habitat fragmentation and environmental degradation are assisted by studies that provide information on ecological and genetic traits of populations. This study contributes to a growing network of local initiatives that are pooling data to monitor and address global rates of amphibian decline.

Central British Columbia is experiencing an unprecedented mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae; MPB) outbreak (Eng et al. 2005). Changes in forest pattern, composition and structure, resulting from the current MPB outbreak and timber salvaging activities, could alter the availability of suitable wildlife habitat for those species whose range overlaps the outbreak area. Along with the loss of habitat there are several spatial effects of the MPB outbreak and timber salvage that can impact wildlife population dynamics. For example, wildlife dispersion may become compromised due to changing landscape condition and limit the ability of a metapopulation to "rescue" compromised sub-populations (Levins 1969). As well, the distribution and availability of high quality habitat within a species range may decline. Species would still be able to reproduce, but at a rate below the population's replacement rate and parts of the landscape would switch from being a population source to a sink (Pulliam and Danielson 1991). Further, land cover changes, from the MPB outbreak and management response, can have long term impacts on community structure, by altering landscape structure and pattern, causing shifts in predator prey relationships. There is a pressing need for forest and wildlife managers to determine appropriate strategies to enhance, as best as possible, 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). However, there are numerous uncertainties associated with these issues. For example, there are uncertainties about what the post MPB structural composition will be across the landscape, including the length of time for MPB killed stands to fall down, the potential shift in sub-canopy vegetation (Williston and Cichowski 2004), and at what point do these stands no longer provide adequate habitat and how fast do they recover (Coates et al. 2006). 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.

Project Description: Objectives of landscape-level planning are to promote sustainability and stewardship of multiple resource values with an emphasis on consistent fibre flow, but events such as mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, MPB) outbreaks create uncertainty that hampers meeting those objectives (Sutherland et al. 2004). Events as large as the current MPB outbreak can cause forests to lose some resilience to absorb further perturbation and reduce their capacity to provide key ecological services, such as wildlife habitat, mid-to long-term timber supply, and jobs (MOFR 2005). Innovative and forward-looking approaches that incorporate sources of uncertainty are needed to manage landscapes for both timber and non-timber values. In the mid-1970's, the East Kootenays experienced a MPB outbreak that can be used to provide a solid foundation for examining the potential consequences of the current epidemic. The broad goal of our project is to exploit this information to guide MPB-related decisions through a strategic analysis that compares the consequences of historic responses to alternative management approaches. This project will generate two major products: 1) an analysis framework to support decision makers ability to assess timber and non-timber values, trade-offs, and interactions, with explicit accounting for uncertainty; and 2) a report that evaluates current policy, presents alternative options, and provides guidance to inform MPB-related decisions. Our project directly addresses Theme 5 of the MPB Timber Growth and Value Program by modelling the effects of MPB attacks under different forest management strategies. We will also consider stochastic factors such as climate change that may affect MPB outbreaks, fire, land-use, and forest development. Target Audience/End Users: The project's target audience will be managers and decision-makers responsible for developing strategies concerning the MPB outbreak. Because the MPB outbreak could have wide-ranging impacts and our project addresses both timber and non-timber values there will be several beneficiaries of this project's results. We have directly contacted timber licensees (Tembec Inc. and Canadian Forest Products, Ltd) and non-industry landholders (The Nature Trust and The Nature Conservancy of Canada) that have agreed to be partners on this project. The chief benefit of the project's products will be to inform our audience of the consequences of current policy and articulate alternative management strategies based on principles of sustainable forest management. These strategies will be designed to mitigate the impact of MPB in a system that considers uncertainty, allows both timber and non-timber values to be evaluated, and interactions and trade-offs to be assessed. The results will also aid provincial government ministries (Environment and Forests and Range) in developing guidelines for MPB outbreaks specific to salvage-oriented strategies, size and spatial distribution of cut-blocks, and road access, at scales ranging from landscape units to management units.