Habitat Management and Restoration

Habitat Management

Provincial Crown Resource Lands in SK2 have been divided into three caribou habitat management area (CHMA) Tiers: 1, 2 and 3. The Tiers are used to strategically apply range plan management strategies across the landscape. The currently identified CHMAs are intended to be in place for a period of at least 20 years, after which time they will be re-evaluated.

The primary management objectives are:

Tier 1: Retain habitat
Tier 2: Restore habitat
Tier 3: Maintain landscape connectivity

The management strategies in the range plans are based on a hierarchy of mitigation steps to avoid, minimize and offset for caribou habitat and sensory disturbance:

1. Avoid and/or minimize new habitat or sensory disturbance in important caribou areas;
2. Use forest harvest patterns strategically to create and maintain older patches of forest;
3. Reclaim and restore old disturbance to create habitat;
4. Manage access to reduce caribou exposure to people and predators; and
5. Mitigate some types of new disturbances by restoring habitat through offsetting in other areas.

The ministry is developing guidance for industries that operate in the caribou range to support project planning and execution in alignment with the range plan habitat management objectives for each CHMA tier.

Habitat Restoration

Saskatchewan's woodland caribou range plans outline the need for habitat restoration of human-caused disturbance, especially linear features. Linear features such as old roads, trails and seismic lines fragment habitat into smaller and less connected patches which can improve predator efficiency, making it harder for woodland caribou to find food and avoid predation. Restoration of these disturbances to productive forest habitat helps deliver on Saskatchewan Growth Plan commitments to restore landscape integrity and meet woodland caribou range plan objectives to maintain healthy boreal forest landscapes.

Habitat restoration activities can look like:

• Using mechanical equipment or hand tools to de-compact soils to promote natural regeneration or create suitable tree planting sites
• Planting trees
• Direct seeding of trees
• Removing access to a road or trail and letting it regenerate naturally

The ministry is currently undertaking a habitat restoration pilot project in SK2 West.

Habitat Restoration Infographic