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Table 11. Scoring system when applying impact scores to tertiary watersheds (Browne 2007). Cumulative impact score was calculated as the sum score across threats. Mines Hydroelectric sites Road density Recent cut (interpreted as within 20 years) Settlement # Score # Score km/km 2 Score % Score % Score 0 0 0 0 0 0 0-0.9 0 0 0 1 2 1 3 1 1 1-5.9 1 0.1-2 2 2 4 2 5 2 2 6-10.9 2 2.1-5 4 3 6 3 7 ... ... 11-15.9 3 5.1-10 6 4 8 >3 10 9 9 16-19.9 4 10.1-15 8 5 10 Etc. Etc. >20 5 >15 10 32 Canadian Boreal Initiative | Wildlife Conservation Society <strong>Canada</strong>
4. Results Simulated development resulted in a three-fold increase in anthropogenic footprint, primarily due to road and transmission corridor expansion (Figure 10). Footprint expansion was greatest in the southern portion of the study area where a dispersed road network was needed to access timber. Footprint growth did occur in the north, but was more spatially constrained (e.g., corridors to access mines in the Ring of Fire and dams along major rivers). Impacts to forest age were also greatest to the south where the average age of the forest declined in response to timber harvest (Figure 11). Average forest age increased outside of the SFLs, suggesting that the simulated fire rate may be less than the natural disturbance regime responsible for shaping the current age-class composition. Underrepresentation of the true natural disturbance rate could in part be due to insect outbreaks and autogenic disturbances (e.g., gap dynamics) not included in our simulation. Alternatively, the estimate of the current age-class composition could underrepresent the abundance of older forest in the region. This possibility is supported by forest inventory data from 1978 for 5,250 km 2 of the Moose River FMU, which is immediately north of the AOU in the eastern portion of the study area. According to the inventory data, almost 70% of the forest was older than 120 years (Ter-Mikaelian et al. 2009). In comparison, 31% of non-merchantable forest was assigned an age greater than 120 years by the forest age data set (i.e., Chen et al. 2003) used in this study. However, the discrepancy in the abundance of older forest between the data sets could be a reflection of the stochastic nature of fire in the region, which creates a variable forest age structure through time and space. Simulated development resulted in a three-fold increase in anthropogenic footprint, primarily due to road and transmission corridor expansion. Footprint expansion was greatest in the southern portion of the study area where a dispersed road network was needed to access timber. A Fork in the Road: Future Development in Ontario’s Far North 33
Page 1: a fork in the Road Future developme
Page 4 and 5: About the Canadian Boreal Initiativ
Page 6 and 7: developments in the north. The simu
Page 8 and 9: viii Canadian Boreal Initiative | W
Page 10 and 11: These ecosystems also confer erosio
Page 12 and 13: 2. Study Area The pilot study area
Page 14 and 15: 3. Methods The project applied A La
Page 16 and 17: Table 1. Cover types used when para
Page 18 and 19: 3.2 Ecological Processes 3.2.1 Succ
Page 20 and 21: 3.3 Land Use 3.3.1 Hydroelectric Se
Page 22 and 23: ! Figure 3. Current, planned, and p
Page 24 and 25: 2,000 MW of hydropower potential in
Page 26 and 27: Figure 6. Kimberlite deposits used
Page 28 and 29: Figure 7. Chromite deposits used in
Page 30 and 31: Figure 8. Massive sulphide deposits
Page 32 and 33: Table 7. Simulated harvest levels w
Page 34 and 35: 39 http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/ Bus
Page 36 and 37: CD Long / The Wolverine Foundation
Page 38 and 39: 3.4.3 Moose The response of moose h
Page 42 and 43: Figure 10. Response of anthropogeni
Page 44 and 45: Risk to herd viability approached t
Page 46 and 47: Figure 13. Simulated response of wo
Page 48 and 49: Figure 14. Response of moose densit
Page 50 and 51: Figure 16. Distribution of watershe
Page 52 and 53: expansion of forestry activity (Vor
Page 54 and 55: North and recommended that “trans
Page 56 and 57: Outcomes of the analysis demonstrat
Page 58 and 59: 6. Conclusion Many of these outcome
Page 60 and 61: References Abraham, K. F., L. M. Mc
Page 62 and 63: Golder Associates Ltd. 2011. Recove
Page 64 and 65: Rempel, R.S., P.C. Elkie, A.R. Rodg
Page 66 and 67: Appendix 1. Overview of ALCES® The
Page 68 and 69: Appendix 2. The Conservation Matrix
Page 70: Appendix 3. OMNR’s Cervid Managem

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