Ecosystem responses to climate variability, disturbances and environmental factors in southwest Yukon of Canada ...

• Main Author: Paudel, Shyam Krishna
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2013
• Subjects: First Nations; Yukon
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0165664; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0165664

The south-western part of the Yukon Territory of Canada has experienced an unprecedented spruce bark beetle outbreak and frequent forest fires beyond the historical trends. Accumulating evidence also suggests that the southwest Yukon has experienced the impacts of recent climate change: warmer winters and warmer and drier summers over the past 15 years have contributed to the severe spruce bark beetle infestation, affecting white spruce on approximately 340,000 hectares of the traditional territory of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations in southwest Yukon. The mortality caused by the bark beetle outbreak has also increased the risk of wildfire severity and frequency in the region. I studied the impacts of climate variability, disturbances and environmental factors on stand structure, forest regeneration and vegetation diversity within the CATT. The research was conducted in close collaboration with the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Resources of the Yukon Government and the Champagne and Aishihik First ...