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Southern Mountain Caribou Selected Old Forest and Avoided Dense Forestry-road Networks

Two southern mountain caribou standing in a forest in the Selkirk Range
Research · Ecology

Southern mountain woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in British Columbia, Canada selected mature and old forest and avoided landscapes with dense forestry-road networks, according to a study first made public in March 2026. Researchers modelled seasonal habitat use for five herds in the Columbia Mountains, one of which became extirpated during the analysis period.

The study used GPS-based resource-selection data from 56 collared caribou monitored from 2016–2021 and produced seasonal habitat predictions across about 35,360 km². During calving, caribou selected low-elevation old-growth forest more than 140 years old. In early winter and summer, they selected forest stands older than 75 years. Late winter also showed selection for mature and old forest, alongside some regenerating stands 1–20 years old.

Forestry roads reduced habitat use in most seasons

Forestry-road density reduced relative habitat use during calving, summer and late winter, but was not retained as an important habitat-selection factor in early winter. Relative habitat use fell to half at about 0.78 km of forestry road per km² in late winter, 1.05 km/km² during calving and 1.08 km/km² in summer. Seasonal habitat use also shifted with elevation, canopy cover and biogeoclimatic zone.

The authors conclude that protecting remaining mature and old-growth forest and ecologically restoring forestry-road corridors are important for maintaining connected seasonal habitat for southern mountain caribou in the Columbia Mountains.

Sources and image credit

  1. Schepens, G., Loosen, A., McLellan, B., Tylo, M., Pigeon, K., Ehlers, L., & Jacob, A. (2026). Forestry disturbances facilitate habitat loss for endangered southern mountain caribou in the Columbia Mountains, Canada. Biological Conservation, 322, 112032. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2026.112032Peer-reviewed final article. Resource-selection models for five southern mountain caribou herds in the Columbia Mountains showed selection for old-growth forest (>140 years) during calving and forest stands older than 75 years in other seasons. Relative use declined strongly with forestry-road density.
  2. Schepens, G., Loosen, A., McLellan, B., Tylo, M., Pigeon, K., Ehlers, L., & Jacob, A. (2026). Forestry disturbances facilitate habitat loss for endangered southern mountain caribou in the Columbia Mountains, Canada [Preprint]. SSRN.First public version, posted 27 March 2026, preceding the peer-reviewed final article.

Image: Lee E. Harding / Wikimedia Commons — mountain caribou in the Selkirk Range, British Columbia, July 1998; representative image. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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