Multifunctional pasture rejuvenation in the Cariboo
Pasture rejuvenation forage trials and establishment treatments will be evaluated by implementing operation-scale deployment of site preparation and forage seeding and then scientific monitoring of key plant and soil indicators to evaluate the implications for:
- Vegetation cover
- Forage production
- Soil moisture and soil carbon sequestration
- Fire hazard ratings
Vegetation cover and forage production have direct relevance to regional climate adaptation with regard to forage producers’ ability to improve pasture productivity under increased climatic variability. Vegetative cover and its influence on fire hazard ratings also have direct implications for supporting land management practices that can abate the prominent and widespread risk of wildfires. Soil carbon and soil moisture measures provide direct evidence of the impacts of the treatments tested on the climate mitigation potential and for adaptation to increased occurrence of growing season drought.
Researchers
Principal investigators
- Dr. Lauchlan Fraser, Professor and Senior NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Ecosystem Reclamation, Thompson Rivers University
- Dr. John Church, Associate Professor and British Columbia Regional Innovation Chair in Cattle Industry Sustainability, Thompson Rivers University
Students
- Keenan Baker, MSc candidate at Thompson Rivers University
- Mathew Coghill, MSC Thompson Rivers University
News
Quesnel Cariboo Observer, September 2023: Grazing the surface of the Quesnel forests
Publications and presentations
Report: Multi-functional pasture rejuvenation in the Cariboo
