Monitoring and Research

Long-term monitoring and research is a key component of the adaptive management approach Weyerhaeuser is taking to integrate caribou habitat needs into forest planning. The company understands that it may take decades to recognize the results of our adaptive management strategies. Adjustments to the caribou habitat strategy and plans will be made as data or professional judgment warrants.

Weyerhaeuser is participating in ambitious research and monitoring programs with academic institutions, government agencies and other stakeholders. For example, Weyerhaeuser has funded $1 million worth of caribou habitat research conducted by the University of Alberta. The programs are aimed at assessing the effectiveness of new forest management practices and furthering our understanding of caribou ecology. Key research focuses on lichen response to silvicultural and harvest practices and the use of GPS collars to track the habitat caribou prefer and assess caribou distribution in relation to human activities and the impact of wolf predation.