In recent years, the term "Healthy Communities" has become a catch phrase among planners, health promotion workers, social workers and government agencies, and increasing numbers of professionals have taken a role in the development of healthy communities projects. The literature on the healthy communities concept has increased in size and scope. Yet the concept itself is byno means clearly defined. Nor is there a standard method for developing a successful healthy communities project, or a regional collaboration of healthy communities projects. The question remains, when a planner undertakes a role in the development of a healthy communities project, what are the most important factors to consider? This thesis examines the influence of various project inputs on the ability of a regional healthy communities project to achieve its objectives. The thesis uses a case study of the Tri-City Health Promotion Project, a collaborative healthy communities project undertaken in the cities of Castlegar, Trail and Nelson in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. In this study, documentary analysis and interviews with Tri-City project staff illuminate the importance of several influences on a regional healthy communities project. Some of these are: the approach used by the participants (task- orprocess-orientation), the resources and constraints specific to each community, the context from which the project grew, the personalities of those involved, the ability of the collaborating communities to work together, and the relationship between the community and regional bodies in the project structure. Conclusions: While every healthy communities project will be affected differently by various inputs, in the case of the Tri-City Health Promotion Project, the relationship between the regional and community bodies in the project structure had the greatest influence on the ability of the community Steering Committees to achieve their goals. Planners working on a regional healthy communities project must carefully examine the design of the project, in order to develop a structure which enhances the working relationship between regional and community bodies. This is particularly crucial in the healthy communities context, where decision-making power often resides at the community level, rather than being centralized in the regional body. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Wildfire is a naturally occurring process that regenerates vegetation in forests.  However, these fire regimes are becoming increasingly altered by human beings.  This study attempts to predict the risk of human caused forest fire incidents in the Cranbrook Fire Zone in British Columbia, Canada.  A multi-criteria analysis using 16 spatial and socioeconomic variables was developed to produce three separate outputs, each having a different weighting and ranking scheme derived from either The Rank Method, or AHP Method.  Results were compared with point locations of human caused incidents from 1950 to 2008 and the accuracy of the model is very promising; however, further study and analysis is required for true validation.

Understanding historic fire regimes to develop benchmarks for emulating historic natural disturbance processes in the interest of conserving biodiversity has been actively pursued for approximately 30 years. Mixed-severity fire regimes are increasingly becoming a recognized component of historic fire regimes. Mixed-severity fire regimes are inherently difficult to classify and characterize given the complexity of the process and the multiple scales at which this complexity is expressed. I utilized a systematic study design to gather fire scar and stand dynamic information in order to describe and classify the historic fire regime. I established the presence of mixed disturbance regime dominated by a mixed-severity fire regime. The historic fire regime was mixed-severity over time dominated by individual high severity fire events occurring at a frequency of 60-130 years with some areas that experienced lower severity fire events occurring at a frequency of 20 - 40 years. Twenty-one per cent of the current landscape was dominated by high-severity fire, 42% by mixed-severity and 37% had an unknown fire history. I developed a fire regime classification scheme that provides a useful tool for considering fire severity in mixed-severity system with forest species that generate strong establishment cohorts. I was able to combine time-since-fire methods with a systematic study design and this combination provided an excellent tool to explore mixed-severity fire characteristics in a complicated mixed-disturbance forest. I found limited relationships between topographic controls and fire severity. I found a number of significant relationships that fit the broadly held perceptions of how fire severity would affect species relative densities and stand structure attributes. The existing stand origin map and the Vegetation Resource Inventory stand age were largely accurate for high-severity 20th century fires but had decreasing accuracy in older forests and for mixed and unknown fire severity. The accuracy of the Vegetation Resource Inventory leading species accuracy was quantified at only 60%. My results have implications for fire and forest management in south-eastern British Columbia and in other forest systems that had historic mixed-severity fire regimes with tree species that have strong establishment cohorts. / Graduate / 0478 / 0329 / rick.kubian@pc.gc.ca

This study was initiated in 1985 to assess the response of seven key forage and browse species to prescribed burning for wildlife habitat and range improvement in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia. The species studied were Agropyron spicatum (bluebunch wheatgrass), Amelanchier alnifolia (saskatoon), Ceanothus velutinus (snowbrush), Festuca scabrella (rough fescue), Purshia tridentata (bitterbrush), Stipa occidentalis (stiff needlegrass), and Symphoricarpos albus (common snowberry). The primary objective of the study was to determine how these species respond to burning in terms of percent cover and current annual growth. There were two approaches to this study. First, experimentally burned plots were established on two sites. Spring and fall burning were carried out on one site and fall burning on a second site. Second, five previously operationally burned areas were compared with immediately adjacent unburned areas to assess differences in the percent cover of all the species and in the sprouting response of bitterbrush. Three of the sites were sampled in the first postburn growing season, one site was sampled in the second postburn growing season, and one site was sampled in the fourth postburn growing season. The total preburn fuel load on these sites ranged from 1.2 to 2.0 kg/m². Total fuel consumption varied from 53 to 91% on the experimentally burned plots. The variability of each fuel load component was high. In the first growing season following fall and spring burning, and the second growing season following fall burning, there were no significant differences in the percent cover of all species except bitterbrush and stiff needlegrass between burned and unburned plots. There was significantly less bitterbrush following both spring and fall burning. By the second growing season, bitterbrush had recovered slightly following fall burning. There was significantly more (33%) percent cover of stiff needlegrass on the fall burned plots both in the first and second growing season following burning. The only species for which there was a significant difference in the current annual growth on fall burned plots compared with control plots, were bitterbrush and saskatoon. There was 71% less current annual growth of bitterbrush the first growing season following fall burning. Saskatoon had 48% less current annual growth on the fall burned plots compared with the control plots. The results for percent cover were similar on the operationally burned areas. At all but the four-year-old operationally burned site, there was significantly less percent cover of bitterbrush on the burned plots compared with unburned plots. The percent decrease varied from 76 to 90%. At a two-year-old operationally burned site, there was 58% less snowberry on burned plots compared with unburned plots. At the same site there was less rough fescue (94%) but this represented only a 2% decrease in the percent cover. There was 58% more percent cover of stiff needlegrass on one of the one-year-old operationally burned sites. On these sites the postfire survival adaptation of all these species was by resprouting from either buds at the surface or the base of the plant, or from underground rhizomes. Some graminoid species seeded in from off-site seed sources. This study shows that where bitterbrush is the focus of enhancement, prescribed burning may have initial detrimental effects regardless of the timing of burning. The effects appear to be more variable and less dramatic for the other species studied. The implications of the response of these forage species to current prescribed burning practices are discussed and recommendations on future research are made. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

This thesis concerns a study into the relationship between vegetation structure and breeding birds in the dry subzone of the Interior Douglas fir BiogeocIimatic Zone. The study was conducted in the East Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. Studies of bird/habitat relationships often relate bird densities with successional vegetation; for management purposes it is convenient to view habitat alterations as changes from one successional stage to-another. Theoretical questions concerning the effect of succession and disturbance on species richness can be approached in this way. Also, there has been considerable interest in the effect of snags on bird density. An analysis of the effect of stumps and snags on bird density was incorporated into the study. Three questions guided the study: (1) What is the relationship between breeding birds and successional vegetation? (2) How is vegetation structure related to successional changes in bird species densities? (3) How does the number of stumps and snags affect the numbers of cavity nesting birds? There were two land management practices which altered the vegetation structure in the study area: selective logging and spring burning. This enabled me to determine the effects of these practices on breeding birds and to extend knowledge of the relationship between birds and vegetation structure. Twenty-four 300 yd by 400 yd (274 by 366 m) plots were established representing replications of each successional stage, transitions between successional stages, a selectively logged mature seral forest, a burned scrubby area, and a burned grassland/scrubby transition area. Bird data were recorded during fourteen, 20 minute visits to each plot in May and June of 1977. All birds detected by sight and sound were recorded during each visit to a plot. The vegetation data gathered on each plot included: estimates of the number of stumps and snags and estimates of crown coverage in each height zone of all species of grass, forb, shrub, and tree. The height zones recognized were 0-.5 m, .5-1 m, 1-10m, 10-24 m, and 24+ m. Multiple step-wise correlation was used to relate breeding bird densities with vegetation structure. Data from only the 25 most commonly recorded bird species were used to describe changes in the bird community with changes in vegetation succession. Results showed: (1) Bird species were non-randomly distributed with respect to successional stages. (2) Most successional stages support a unique compliment of bird species. (3) In general bird abundance was greater with greater successional age of a plot. However, dense stands of young conifer and climax Douglas fir forest had lower bird densities than the successional stages immediately preceding them. Mature serai ponderosa pine/Douglas fir forests had the highest bird densities. In some cases the bird densities on scrubby plots were comparable to the ponderosa pine/Douglas fir plots. (4) The relationship between bird species and vegetation structure is somewhat complex, but in general, visually obvious vegetation structures (i.e. height and coverage of grass, shrubs, and trees) are related to the presence of bird species. The species of trees and shrubs on a site can be used as an indicator of the bird species present. (5) The presence of cavity nesting birds was not closely linked with stumps and snags. Stumps and snags may not be a limiting resource. (6) The bird community on a grass dominated site which was burned in April 1977 was strikingly similar to that of another unburned grass dominated site. There were differences, among the bird communities on burned and unburned scrubby areas which were consistent with the recent fire history of the sites. (7) The selectively logged plot had numbers of bird species and bird species diversity similar to those of unlogged mature seral ponderosa pine/Douglas fir forest. The density of individual birds was lower on the logged plot than on the unlogged plots. Some bird species became more plentiful and others less plentiful as a result of the logging, but the bird community on the logged plot was composed of species associated with forested successional stages. A number of recommendations have been made for further study of East Kootenay bird/habitat interactions through a policy of experimental management. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Graduate

The concept of this thesis was developed during the author's two years of work with the British Columbia Ministry of Mines and Petroleum Resources as a Reclamation Inspector. During that period (1973-75) one of the author's major duties was to review reclamation plans prepared by mining companies, pursuant to Section 8 of the Coal Mines Regulation Act3 as applications for either surface mining permits or permit extensions. The quality of these reports varied greatly, with few being really comprehensive. No uniform standard of reclamation report was achieved by industry or, perhaps even more important, demanded by the Ministry. Reclamation programmes on many mining operations were suffering from an obvious lack of management planning. Work was being undertaken without clear objectives, and no apparent attempt was being made to develop an ongoing planning process. The author contends that the following characteristics are implicit in the term "management planning": 1. A stated management period; 2. An initial collection of facts and a description of the area to be managed; 3. An analysis of the facts and an assessment of management options; 4. The designation of management objectives; 5. The design of a programme to accomplish the objectives; and 6. A record of results and a collection of further information by inventory and research to be used in formulating the plan for the next management period. He further explains that, by intent, Section 8 of the Coal Mine's Regulation Act would appear at present to require most of these elements of a management process in the preparation of a reclamation report. The object of this thesis is to develop and illustrate a management plan format that reflects the continuous planning process outlined above. As a basis for the plan the experience and information gained by the author at Kaiser Resources Ltd.'s mining operation in Sparwood during the period 1971-1973 are summarized and interpreted, and management prescriptions formed from that synthesis. The thesis is written as though it were a management plan prepared in early 19 75 for the management period 1975- 1978. In summary, the format of the plan is essentially as follows: 1. An initial collection of facts and description of the area to be managed. This portion of the plan consists of two chapters; a description of the biophysical characteristics of the mining area, and a description of the mining environment to be reclaimed. The biophysical description includes topography, drainage, bedrock and surficial geology, soils, climate, vegetation and fauna. The description of the mining environment deals with the history of coal mining in the East Kootenay, the tenure of the mining area, and the location, extent and nature of mining, milling and exploration operations. 2. An assessment of Management Options. Two items are considered to be important in assessing reclamation management options; the environmental impact of the mining operation, and the legal responsibilities of the mining company for reclamation. Basically, reclamation is undertaken in order to mitigate some of the adverse effects of mining on the natural environment. For this reason, a discussion of the major impacts of mining, concentrating on those that can be mitigated by reclamation, is a prerequisite to the formulation of management objectives. This chapter of the plan contains a description of land capability for forestry, agriculture, wildlife and recreation, and a discussion of the impact of mining on land capability, water quality and the fishery resource. The second chapter of this portion of the plan deals with the legislative and administrative framework for reclamation in British Columbia. The Coal Mines Regulation Act currently states that reclamation must be carried out to a level satisfactory to the Minister, without defining what that level is. This chapter discusses present interpretations of the Act, the administrative procedures for reclamation enforcement, and speculates on the form that eventual reclamation standards might take. 3. The designation of management objectives. Management objectives are defined on the basis of the environmental impacts of the mining operation and on the legal requirements for reclamation. For the Kaiser Resources Ltd. operation the overall reclamation management objectives are defined as: i. To re-establish watershed values, by either mechanical means or the establishment of a self-sustaining vegetation cover, as soon as possible after the cessation of mining activities on any particular parcel of land. ii. To accomplish watershed rehabilitation in a manner that is compatible with the potential prime surface use of the land and consistent with post-mining site conditions. On the basis of the description of both the mining environment and land capability, two land use objectives are proposed: a. To provide food and, ultimately, cover for mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk and moose through the establishment of appropriate plant communities. b. To re-establish aesthetic values on all disturbed lands and, where possible, to - enhance opportunities for outdoor recreation. 4. The design of a programme to accomplish the objectives. This section of the plan consists of a discussion of the major constraints to successful reclamation and a description of the various components of the reclamation programme. The most significant constraints to reclamation on the Kaiser Resources Ltd. operation are considered to be, in decreasing order of importance: surface instability, soil temperature, soil compaction, soil chemistry, and increasing elevation. Seven components of the reclamation programme are described - species selection, seed collection, plant propagation, site preparation, seeding, planting, and tending. In each case, past experience, including cost information, is summarized, and major prescriptions proposed for the coming management period. 5. Assessment of Results. The assessment programme relates to the management objectives, and focuses primarily on watershed and wildlife habitat parameters. Parameters to be measured relate to water quality, protective cover, species composition, the degree of ungulate use, forage quantity and forage quality. The management plan thus prepared provides the framework for the two final steps in the management process for any particular management period; the subdivision of the area for management purposes, and the preparation of operational plans. The management area is divided, primarily for record keeping, into compartments, which are permanent unit's based on topography, access or mining operations, and sub-compartments, which are temporary subdivisions of compartments based on treatment. Each compartment should be subject to a specific land-use objective. Sub-compartments may be combined or further subdivided in the light of future operations. The last step in the process is the preparation of annual operational plans. These outline, for each year of the management period, the specific operations to be undertaken and the projected costs of each. Operational plans become the basis for the development of annual budgets. / Forestry, Faculty of / Unknown

No abstract included. / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate

The black cottonwood, Populus trichocarpa, provides the foundtaion for the riparian woodlands throughout southern British Columbia (B.C.) and western Montana (MT). To study the interaction of riparian dynamics and cottonwood ecology, the present study investigated the influence of the extreme 1995 Elk River flood on the riparian zone and cottonwood ecology, and the effects of flood flow attenuation by the Libby Dam on riparian processess and cottonwoodland ecology of the Kootenai(y) River. Four river reaches were studied: the free-flowing Elk River near Fernie, B.C., the free-flowing Upper Kootenay River, B.C., upstream from the Koocanusa Reservoir, the free-flowing Fisher River, MT, near the Kootenai junction, and the flow-attenuated Lower Kootenai River near Libby, MT. Air photos from 1930, 1962, 1992 and/or 1994 revealed substantial channel change and the development of barren point bars that served as recruitment sites for willos and cottonwoods along the free-flowing reaches. Conversely, the Lower Kootenai had a relatively static channel after damming. In total, thirty-five transects were studied in 1996 and 1997 at 3 sites along each river reach to assess elevation profiles, substrate composition, scour and deposition, vegatation patterns, and aspects of cottonwood reproduction. Abundant cottonwood recruitment occurred in 1996 and even more so in 1997, producing mean densities of 153, 536, and 142 seedlings/m2 along the Elk, Upper Kootenay, and Fisher river transects, respectively. In marked contrast, no seedlings were successful along the Lower Kootenai River, downstream from the Libby Dam. The free-flowing river reaches experienced extensive sediment deposition in the riparian zone after the 1997 high water, whereas the Lower Kootenai experienced little change in stream bank configuration. The Elk River study revealed that the 1995 flood caused considerate geomorphic change and the resultant unconsolidated deposits were easily scoured and transported during the subsequent two years providing abundant sites for new cottonwoods. The Kootenay River study revealed limited meandering and deposition along the flow-attenuated Lower Kootenai River compared to the hydrologically, geomorphologically, and ecologically dynamic, free-flowing upstream reach. Along the Lower Kootenai River, there was a deficiency in black cottonwood population age structure due to limited recruitment. Flood-intolerant, upland plants have encroached to the river's edge, further eliminating cottonwood recruitment opportunities along the Lower Kootenai River. The vegetation encroachment, the static channel configuration, the minimal scour and sediment deposition and the lack of the essential stream stage pattern, combine to underlie the lack of seedling recruitment and the consequent deficiency in cottonwood population structure along the Lower Kootenai River. The studies demonstrate that black cottonwoods require a dynamic hydrologic and geomorphic system with periodic flood events for continued replenishment. The observed loss of cottonwood recruitment along the Lower Kootenai River is thus the consequence of the flood flow attenuation due to the operation of the Libby Dam. The restoration of the Lower Kootenai cottonwoods will probably rely on a partial recovery of more natural and more dynamic instream flow patterns that include occasional high flows in late spring followed by gradual stage recession. Such flows would exclude upland vegetation, recover more dynamic geomorphic processes and provide the stream stage patterns that are directly essential for cottonwood seedling recruitment. / 1 v. (various pagings) : ill. (some col.), maps ; 28 cm.

No description available.

No description available.