Conclusions
I addressed the first part of my Master's thesis, characterizing post-fire lichen recovery, through this RENR 711 project. As I anticipated prior to field sampling, dense conifer stands consistently supported less ground lichen than sparse conifer stands. However, the difference was much larger than I expected, and speaks to the very specific growing conditions needed for ground lichens to be successful. The post-fire recovery of lichens in sparse conifer closely aligned with Environment Canada's recovery threshold, contrary to my prediction that lichen would be recovered earlier than 40 years post-fire. The generalized linear mixed models I ran have identified age, ecosite, canopy closure and litter as the most important set of variables to predict lichen abundance. I will use this information to guide the production of a lichen abundance map for my study area. Once produced, the lichen map will form the foundation of a forage selection analysis using caribou GPS collar locations. The forage analysis will provide insight into how caribou utilize forage resources in a landscape with frequent forest fires, information that can help inform management and recovery strategies for the species.
I addressed the first part of my Master's thesis, characterizing post-fire lichen recovery, through this RENR 711 project. As I anticipated prior to field sampling, dense conifer stands consistently supported less ground lichen than sparse conifer stands. However, the difference was much larger than I expected, and speaks to the very specific growing conditions needed for ground lichens to be successful. The post-fire recovery of lichens in sparse conifer closely aligned with Environment Canada's recovery threshold, contrary to my prediction that lichen would be recovered earlier than 40 years post-fire. The generalized linear mixed models I ran have identified age, ecosite, canopy closure and litter as the most important set of variables to predict lichen abundance. I will use this information to guide the production of a lichen abundance map for my study area. Once produced, the lichen map will form the foundation of a forage selection analysis using caribou GPS collar locations. The forage analysis will provide insight into how caribou utilize forage resources in a landscape with frequent forest fires, information that can help inform management and recovery strategies for the species.