Habitat selection by forest-dwelling caribou in managed boreal forest of eastern Canada: Evidence of a landscape configuration effect

Habitat alteration caused by forest harvesting seems to contribute to the decline of forest-dwelling caribou, an ecotype of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) inhabiting the boreal ecosystem. To serve as basework to the establishment of conservation measures for the species, we have studied the hierarchical habitat selection of forest-dwelling caribou in a boreal landscape of Québec strongly impacted by logging. Fifteen females were surveyed by GPS telemetry between April 2004 and March 2006. Home ranges showed a high proportion of 90–120 year-old forests, a low proportion of regenerating forests (20–40 years old) and a tendency to include a greater proportion of 6–20 year-old clearcuts in relation to their availability in the study area. At the home range scale, selection patterns differed between periods, possibly reflecting specific requirements linked to caribou life cycle. Caribou selected open lichen woodlands throughout the year while mature closed forests (≥50 years) were selected uniquely during summer. The 6–20 year-old clearcuts were avoided during calving, in summer and during the rutting period but were selected during spring. Our results indicate that mature forest and open lichen woodlands are highly selected forest cover types by caribou at both spatial scales. Although clearcuts were generally avoided at the home range scale, such avoidance was not observed at the larger scale, the search for 90–120 year-old forests being hampered by a uniform distribution of clearcuts. An a posteriori landscape analysis highlighted the spatial association between 6–20 year-old clearcuts and 90–120 year-old forests, an association that can be explained by the current regulations used in Québec. Our results underline the importance of pursuing research concerning the impact of such an exploitation regime on the long-term maintenance of the forest caribou in the boreal landscape.