LiDAR-Based Footprint Mapping and Vegetation Succession Assessment for Caribou Habitat Management in the Cold Lake Range

Managing environmental footprints first requires an updated inventory and classification of said footprint. This project used a LiDAR-based mapping process to inventory and classify all footprint in a regional study area within the Cold Lake caribou range and will provide the basis for prioritizing reclamation action on this land base going forward. The study area includes leases held by Devon, Cenovus, CNRL, and MEG. The project also incorporates LiDAR, colour infrared imagery, and ground truth data to map disturbances and assess vegetation succession across disturbance types. These methods support the development of spatially explicit vegetation metrics—such as height, cover, and caribou forage potential—by linking remote sensing data with field measurements. Ultimately, this work aims to inform habitat management and land-use planning by evaluating vegetation structure in relation to caribou habitat requirements, predator use of linear features, and the effectiveness of passive and active reclamation strategies.

Wolves selected linear features (LFs) with shorter and sparser vegetation and traveled significantly faster along these paths, while movement slowed when vegetation exceeded 0.5 m in height and was notably reduced when 30% of an LF reached 4.1 m. These findings highlight that vegetation structure strongly influences predator use of disturbed features, reinforcing the importance of targeted restoration to disrupt predator travel efficiency. Correlation between LiDAR-derived hiding cover metrics and field data confirms the utility of remote sensing tools for assessing vegetation recovery and guiding reclamation priorities. Results also show that upland ecosites exhibit stronger natural regeneration, while bog and fen systems retain higher residual disturbance effects, underscoring the need to tailor restoration strategies to site-specific ecological conditions. Many of the conclusions of this study regarding LiDAR and ground truthing are not included in the project documents.