Parks Canada

Wetland vegetation is strongly related to water level and nutrient availability. These variables can be influenced by many stressors including, acid deposition, long-range transport of air pollutants and climate change. Monitoring vegtation in wetlands will help us better understand changes...

The long-term monitoring of trees on a permanently marked forest plot gives important information on the structure and composition of a forest, the condition, growth rates and longevity of the species of trees composing that forest, changes in species composition or population size that occur...

Benthic invertebrates are considered to be strong indicators of aquatic health. They can be found in all fresh water ecosystems and are sensitive to a variety of environmental disturbances. Hundreds of species inhabit our streams and rivers, some of which are known to be more sensitive than...

The hydrological regime of a stream plays a critical role in determining the biodiversity and ecological processes of aquatic, wetland and riparian ecosystems. As a result, hydrological characteristics provide important information on the integrity of freshwater systems and how they may be...

Brook trout are top predators in aquatic ecosystems at Kejimkujik that integrate the effects of stressors throughout the aquatic trophic structure. They are sensitive to a variety of stressors, including acidification, changes in water quality, climate change, fishing pressure, exotic species...

Plethodontid salamanders lack lungs and breath through their glandular skin and the roof of their mouth which must remain moist for respiration; they are vulnerable to desiccation and soil contaminants. Plethodontids can reach high densities in many forest habitats and play an important role in...

Lichen abundance was selected as a measure of stress in forest ecosystems because lichens are well-established bioindicators and have been used for monitoring air pollution globally for many years. They are particularly sensitive to changes in their environment. Lichen species vary in their...

Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) are an important indicator of the health of aquatic ecosystems and are a valued resource for harvest by First Nations and for sport fishing by visitors. Parks Canada monitors lake trout using the Summer Profundal Index Netting (SPIN) method. Area weighted...

Most songbirds in Kluane National Park and Reserve are medium-distance migrants and could be threatened by habitat degradation along migration routes. Songbirds could also indicate whether Kluane’s forests have recovered essential components of habitat after the extensive spruce bark beetle...

Amphibians worldwide are facing declines and possible extinction. Wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) are the only amphibian in Kluane National Park and Reserve. They are considered an important component of wetlands and are highly valued by Southern Tutchone peoples. Threats to wood frogs in...

Parks Canada monitors structural change in the spruce forests of Kluane National Park and Reserve following a spruce bark beetle outbreak that began in 1994. Understanding stand development after this landscape-level disturbance will be critical for assessing the resilience of this forest to a...

Parks Canada monitors vegetation composition in Kluane National Park and Reserve forests to determine resilience following a spruce bark beetle outbreak of unprecedented severity that occurred in the mid 1990’s. Understanding stand development after this landscape-level disturbance will be...

Shrubs are projected to move upslope and expand into the alpine tundra with a warming climate in the Kluane region of Yukon. Shrub expansion will create habitat for some species, such as moose, but cause habitat loss for species such as hoary marmot, collared pika and ptarmigan. Parks Canada...

This is a multi-park measure, which includes an inventory and assessment of 1,754 culvert and 51 bridge locations along the major highways and roads in Banff, Kootenay, Yoho, Waterton Lakes, Mount Revelstoke, and Glacier national parks. In Glacier National Park the capacity for fish passage above...

The measure is based on snow-tracking data from 3 established snow-transects in the Kicking Horse Valley. Trends for this metric focus on wary carnivores (cougar, lynx, wolf, and wolverine) though prey (ungulate) data will also be collected. Data collected include location, species presence,...

This is a multi-park measure, which includes an inventory and assessment of 1,754 culvert and 51 bridge locations along the major highways and roads in Banff, Kootenay, Yoho, Waterton Lakes, Mount Revelstoke, and Glacier national parks. In Mount Revelstoke National Park the capacity for fish in...

This measure is based on snow-tracking data from 25 established snow-transects in the Bow Valley. Most transect occur within corridors around the Banff townsite, but several reference transects are located in the Broader Bow Valley. Trends for this metric focus on wary carnivores (cougar, lynx,...

Benthic macro-invertebrate diversity, stream hydrology, water chemistry, climate, geology, and landcover are collected at randomly selected sites using a standard protocol for the assessment of stream condition and are being monitored both at reference and impacted sites. The overall scope or aim...

Whitebark pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola) is an introduced pathogen affecting whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) and limber pine (Pinus flexilis). Whitebark pine is an endangered species protected under the Federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) and Limber pine is designated as an endangered...

The area burned by fire in Banff National Park between 1910 and 2017 is contained in this dataset. The number of hectares burned was calculated either by a GPS track of the fire perimeter (<200 hectares) or by remote sensing (>200 hectares). Measuring area burned allows Parks Canada to...