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Logging and Wildfire Were Projected to Leave More Moose and Bear Forage but Less Caribou Forage for Decades

Clearcut forest landscape in Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada
Research · Ecology

Timber harvest and wildfire were projected to shift forage availability in opposite directions for woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) and for moose (Alces americanus) and bears in Alberta, Canada. A study published in April 2026 used forest-growth models to follow post-disturbance vegetation for up to 100 years.

The models were initialized with field data from 250 harvested stands and 259 burned stands that were up to 40 years old. Projected forage was compared with measurements from 256 older stands, more than 40 years since disturbance, that had documented caribou use. The bear forage models covered both black bear (Ursus americanus) and grizzly bear (Ursus arctos).

Forage changes were strongest for five to six decades

The greatest projected changes in forage occurred during roughly the first 50–60 years after disturbance. The trajectories were not identical everywhere: they differed between harvest and wildfire and among Alberta’s ecosystem subtypes. In some ecosystem subtypes, terrestrial lichens used by caribou in winter returned to levels similar to older caribou-use stands about 40 years after harvest or wildfire. Large deciduous shrubs used by moose and bears, however, were projected to reach greater abundance than in the older caribou-use stands at most harvested and burned sites.

Moose and bears gained forage while caribou lost it

The authors therefore conclude that the first few decades after timber harvest or wildfire are likely to provide more forage for moose and bears and less for caribou. One mechanism they highlight is apparent competition: more early-successional forage can support alternative prey such as moose, which can in turn support higher numbers or wider use by predators such as wolves that also kill caribou. Bears are themselves omnivorous predators of caribou, so increased bear forage may also alter how they use disturbed landscapes. The study did not model moose or bear abundance, predator numbers or predation directly; these are ecological consequences suggested by the projected vegetation changes, not outcomes measured in the study.

Sources and image credit

  1. Best, I. N., Brown, L., Finnegan, L., McClelland, C. J. R., Johnson, C. J., & Elkin, C. (2026). Post-disturbance projections of forage habitat for caribou, moose, and bears following timber harvest and wildfire. Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research, 99(3), cpag030. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpag030Primary peer-reviewed open-access article published 17 April 2026 under CC BY 4.0. Forest-growth models were initialized with field data from 250 harvested and 259 burned stands in Alberta and compared with 256 older stands used by caribou. The greatest projected forage changes occurred in the first 50–60 years after disturbance; the first few decades generally had more forage for moose and bears and less for caribou than older caribou-use forest.

Image: Brian Crawford / Wikimedia Commons — clearcut logging area along Wilkinson Creek in Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada, July 2004; representative Alberta forest-disturbance habitat, not identified as a study plot · CC 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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