TECHNICAL REPORT Using Snow-track Surveys to Evaluate Wildlife Use of Forests Affected by Mountain Pine Beetle in North-central British Columbia FRASER MACDONALD1 AND R. SCOTT MCNAY1 MARCH 19, 2010 1Wildlife Infometrics Inc., PO Box 308, Mackenzie, BC, V0J 2C0,
[email protected] Prepared for Abitibi-Consolidated Company of Canada - Mackenzie, under contract # ACCC2010FIA01 CITA TION: MacDonald, F. and R.S. McNay 2010. Using Snow-track Surveys to Evaluate Wildlife Use of Forest Affected by Mountain Pine Beetle in North-central British Columbia. Wildlife Infometrics Inc. Report No. 346. Wildlife Infometrics Inc., Mackenzie, British Columbia, Canada. WII Report346_Snow-track_Survey_MPB_Mackenzie TSA_2009-10.doc MACDONALD AND MCNAY WILDLIFE INFOMETRICS INC. ABSTRACT The winter time use of pine forests affected by the Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB, Dendroctonus ponderosae) by wildlife within the Defined Forest Area of the Mackenzie Timber Supply Area in north-central British Columbia were assessed using wildlife snow- track surveys during the winter of 2010. The snow track surveys were completed in partnership with the Tsay Keh Dene and Kwadacha First Nations during two sessions: January 15th to 24th and February 14th to 23rd. Transects were surveyed within moose (Alces alces) and woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) Ungulate Winter Ranges (UWR) in close proximity to the communities of Tsay Keh and Kwadacha in north-central British Columbia. We hypothesized that there would be a significant difference in species use between caribou UWR and moose UWR. The level of species use was defined as the number of tracks observed per day, per 100 meters of transect (NT/D100m). Analysis determined that the factors of session and strata (UWR types) were not significant in determining the amount of tracks observed.