Project Code:	WEYDV-02-036
Program:	FRIP
Area:	Applied Research
Sponsor:	Weyerhaeuser Company Limited
Project Status:	Complete

Bat activity was examined during the summers of 1998-1999 within three forest types and areas where standing structure was retained following harvest. All seven forest bat species expected to occur in west-central Alberta were verified using ultrasonic and capture techniques. Results from the study indicated that narrow seismic lines running through mature aspen-, pine-, and spruce-dominated forests provided commuting habitat equally well for all bat species. In addition, the amount of structure retention in a cut block did not affect bat activity at pond sites. There was a low abundance of ideal roost structures across forest types in mature boreal stands so the study recommended that standing dead material and live recruitment trees should be retained to conserve bat populations. The final report was a thesis by Heidi Lippert submitted in Spring 2001 entitled, “The Relationship of Bat Activity to Habitat Type and Structure Retention in Managed, Boreal Forests of West-Central Alberta”.