Blueberry/forestry : a reasonable accommodation ?

Blueberry/forestry : a reasonable accommodation? CONFOR 2008 Julie Lavoie (UQAC) Jacques Ibarzabal (UQAC) Louis Imbeau (UQAT) February 2008

1.Context • Blue gold … Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean: Lowbush blueberry fields since 1963 2005 = 20 000 ha et 35 M$ (harvest) • New territories = TSFMA (Timber Supply and Forest Management Agreement) • Blueberry/forestry concept • Often on jack pine (Pinus banksiana) stands • Low land, sandy, well-drained and acid soils, • native lowbush blueberry

Lost attributes Structural changes 2.Problematic Management impact on wildlife? Habitat lost and fragmentation

2. Problematic • Jack pine stands targeted for blueberry/forestry, but these stands are under anthropic pressures(Lac-Saint-Jean region). Lowbush blueberry fields • Fauna in jack pine forest community poorly unknown. • Connecticut warbler(Oporornis agilis) a rarespecies associated to this habitat

3. Objective Assess blueberry/forestry impact on wildlife presence (birds, small and medium mammals) and their habitat Lowbush blueberry fields Blueberry/forestry Jack pine stands

15 blueberry/forestry (166 ha) 15 lowbush blueberry fields 15 jack pine stands 4. Methods 4.1 Study area

4.2 Wildlife surveys 4. Methods • Habitat (vegetation plot) 2006-07 • Small mammals (mortal traps) 2006-07 • Medium mammals (track counts) 2007

Blueberry 60 m Forest (3*20m) Blueberry 60 m 100 m 4.2 Wildlife surveys 4. Methods • Birds (point-counts) • 3 visits • 4:30 and 9:00 AM • 10 min passive point-counts • 5 min playback • 5 min mobbing calls of BCCH • 5 min passive point-counts

4. Methods 4.3 Statistical analysis • Model comparison methods (QAICc) (Burnham & Anderson, 2002) • Presence-absence repeated surveys • Detection probability(Mackenzie et al., 2006) PRESENCE 2.1 program Table 1. Detection history • Multimodel inference (Burnham & Anderson, 2002)

4. Methods 4.3 Statistical analysis • 21 models/species • Occupancy variables(Ψ): % Harvested % Harvested2 % Deciduous tree • Detection variables (p): % Harvested Observer Time since sunrise Julian day

4. Methods 4.3 Statistical analysis Occupancy Open-habitat species Forest-dwelling species Ubiquitous species Edge species % Harvested

5. Preliminary results Table 2. Variables affecting occupancy or detection after model averaging for birds (2007 survey) *Without model averaging

Occupancy % Harvested 5. Preliminary results Edge Figure 1. Number of visits with detection per treatment for the White-throated sparrow(Zonotrichia albicollis )

5. Preliminary results Forest-dwelling species Figure 2. Number of visits with detection per treatment for Golden-crowned kinglet (Regulus satrapa),Yellow-rumped warbler (Dendroica coronata)and Nashville warbler,(Vermivora ruficapilla)

Occupancy % Harvested 5. Preliminary results Ubiquitous Figure 3. Number of visits with detection per treatment for hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus)

6. Conclusions Reasonable accommodation … Birds (preliminary results) Ubiquitous species Edge species Forest-dwelling species Others guilds CONFOR 2009: Saguenay !!!

Thanks • Director and codirector: Jacques Ibarzabal, Louis Imbeau • Field team: Stéphane Blais, Raphaël Demers, Mélanie Meunier, Frédéric Fortin, Jessy Pronovost, Judith Boulianne, Joël Lacasse, Ludovic Béland, Audrey Sanfaçon • CAFN: Victor Boulianne, Ursule Bouchard • AGIR: Luc Simard, Michel Bouchard, Julie Moreau • Study design and analysis: Marc Mazerolle, Martin-Hugues St-Laurent, Christian Roy • Ministry: Christian Bélanger, Claude Dussault, Gilles Lupien • COASLSJ: Dominique Lavoie Financial supports and partners

Questions ? An accommodation for me ???

Blueberry/forestry : a reasonable accommodation ?