Monitoring ecological representation in currently non-harvestable areas: Four British Columbia case studies

Abstract

We evaluated representation of ecosystem types in non-harvestable areas within managed forests, as a coarse-filter indicator for biodiversity monitoring, with four case studies in British Columbia: Weyerhaeuser's coastal tenure, Clayoquot Sound on western Vancouver Island, Arrow Lakes in southwestern B.C. and Okanagan highlands of south-central B.C. Representation of some coarser- and finer-level ecosystem units was poor in the two studies with lower amounts of non-harvestable area, and more equitable in the two studies with more diverse harvesting constraints. Under-representation of highly productive sites and high proportions of edge area were concerns for most ecosystems. Representation would be improved with the addition of proposed new reserves in two of three study areas. We discuss specific management implications and broader recommendations for monitoring representation, including the need for regional analyses, tests with habitat structures and organisms, effects of other disturbances and updating monitoring results. Key words: biodiversity monitoring, ecological indicators, ecosystem representation, landscape planning, unmanaged areas