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Moose Population Size in Alberta Varied With Forest Patterns and Winter Severity in Early Analyses

Moose cow and calf standing in forest vegetation in Kananaskis, Alberta
Research · Ecology

Early analyses from Alberta, Canada’s Moose Research Initiative found that moose (Alces alces) population size varied with several features of the forest landscape and winter climate. The February 2026 update identified mixedwood cover, the spatial aggregation of wildfire and forest harvest, winter severity, elevation and the proportion of land affected by fire as important predictors.

The source is a project QuickNote reporting preliminary results from an initiative launched in late 2024, rather than a final analysis of the full programme.

Forest pattern mattered more than total harvested area alone

The population work uses historical Government of Alberta aerial surveys to examine how forest management and landscape conditions relate to moose numbers. Total proportion of harvested forest showed no clear relationship on its own in the early analysis. The researchers therefore plan to examine more specific forest-stand characteristics rather than treating total harvested area as sufficient to describe forestry effects.

Habitat use changed with season and spatial scale

A separate part of the initiative is examining where moose select habitat. Early results from west-central Alberta indicate that they use different forest ages and types depending on season and on the spatial scale at which habitat is considered. The team plans to extend this work to northeastern Alberta and validate the models with independent data and traditional ecological knowledge.

Other parts of the initiative are still primarily in the data-collection and method-development stage. During the first year, 180 camera traps and climate sensors were deployed at 72 sites in west-central Alberta to study how forestry and climate affect boreal ungulates. Simulations also suggested that fixed-wing drones with gimbal-mounted cameras could be a viable way to survey moose, while early AI models showed promise for identifying animals in thermal images.

The February update is therefore a checkpoint rather than a final ecological assessment. Its clearest biological results so far concern relationships between moose numbers, forest pattern and winter conditions, together with season- and scale-dependent habitat use.

Sources and image credit

  1. fRI Research. (2026, February 3). Moose Research Initiative Winter 2026 Update.Primary project QuickNote published 3 February 2026. It reports preliminary, not peer-reviewed final, results from the Moose Research Initiative, including early population predictors and season- and scale-dependent habitat-selection patterns.

Image: Veronika Ronkos / Wikimedia Commons — moose cow and calf (Alces alces) in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, photographed 20 July 2011; representative Alberta forest image, not animals from the Moose Research Initiative. · CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

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