On Oct. 14, members of the Grand Forks Wildlife Association (GFWA) took part in an ecosystem restoration project in the Volcanic Creek area.
Using chainsaws, brush saws and hand tools, the group slashed and piled small diameter conifers and brush species.
The aim of the project is to create a more open, grassland ecosystem that resembles historic ecological conditions more conducive to supporting ungulates and other wildlife species. It is widely recognized that grassland areas have been shrinking as forests encroach – the result of a policy of excluding wildfires from the landscape.
Cutting small trees and piling them for future burning helps create more grassland and cutting shrubs encourages them to re-sprout with new shoots that provide critical winter food for ungulates.
A second phase will involve burning the slash piles, with the long-term goal of conducting open burns to maintain the grassland.
The GFWA contributed this labour as part of a larger ecosystem restoration project under the authority of local Ministry of Lands, Forests, and Natural Resource Operations' staff and funded through a grant from the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund.
The Volcanic Creek area is one of several areas in the Boundary that have been identified for assessment and treatment over the three-year term of the grant.
Many members of the group feel that deer populations (particularly mule deer) in our area have declined precipitously over the last 15 years and helping to improve habitat is one way of stemming that decline.
A second cutting and piling exercise is planned for the early spring.
The Grand Forks Wildlife Association is a group of hunters and fishers who are concerned with wildlife conservation and encouraging outdoor recreation for all ages.
– Jamie Hibberson, Grand Forks Wildlife Association