Long-term Snow Track Monitoring to Understand Factors Affecting Boreal Forest Mammal Density in an Expanding In Situ Oil Sands Area

Oil sands extraction in Alberta’s boreal forest now relies heavily on in situ techniques. While these methods avoid open-pit mining, they create overlapping linear networks that fragment wildlife habitat, raising concerns about their impact on boreal mammal and grouse populations. Researchers analyzed winter wildlife tracks across 86 locations from 2005 to 2018, testing 25 explanatory variables for their influence on the density of 11 mammal and grouse species.

Most linear features did not significantly reduce track density, though narrow seismic lines negatively affected fishers and red squirrels, while wider features positively influenced lynx, coyotes, deer, and other species. Despite ongoing industrial expansion, consistent snowshoe hare and predator population cycles suggest the ecosystem may exhibit resilience during the early phases of development. Despite an increasing human footprint, species varied in their responses to anthropogenic features, with some adapting and others showing reduced presence where disturbance was highest.