UWR | u-9-001 | SPE-009
Region: Peace
Legal under OGAA: Yes
Legal under FRPA: Yes
Notes: TFL - Pine - Favels UWR
- Foraging areas including: grassy south to southeast facing slopes dominated by grasses, wind-swept ridges, riparian areas and young burns.
- Mature, old forest stands (>100 years) with >40% crown closure, are critical for cover and snow interception during severe winters.
- Minimize new disturbance and utilizing existing disturbances.
- Maintain high suitability foraging opportunities, screening and snow interception cover.
- Maintain desired plant communities and key habitat features.
All Activities
- Identify key habitat features using appropriate measures (i.e. QP direction, desktop review, field confirmation, etc) and plan activities within the operating area accordingly.
- Minimize disturbance within old forest stands (>100 years) with >40% crown closure, by planning use of existing disturbances.
- Time works such that they occur outside of the critical timing window.
- Apply the appropriate survey and setback requirements for WHFs within identified habitat. (Refer to section 1.9 of the EPMG for additional guidance on WHFs).
Linear Features (roads, pipelines, seismic)
All:
- Minimize linear disturbance as they enhance predator mobility especially near critical areas.
All Activities
- Undertake construction and operation of oil and gas activities in a manner that minimizes impacts to desired plant communities and key habitat features.
Timing considerations when working within identified habitat:
- Avoid disturbance and/or clearing activities during the critical timing window May 15 to July 15.
- Where an application area is within a NEBC UWR for Elk, please refer to the EIMS summary for that Order. Proponents are required to adhere to the guidance provided in that summary, including any relevant timing considerations.
Linear Features
All
- Upon completion of the activity, undertake the following measures to encourage re-establishment of the pre-disturbance ecological trajectory:
- deactivate unnecessary access corridors,
- undertake measures to control access,
- promote natural or assisted regeneration.
General Wildlife Measures
No permanent mainline or secondary roads
Limited impacts to forest cover
Provide winter range for forage, escape cover and thermal cover.
Limit roads and impacts to forest cover.
No disturbance Nov01-April30
Retail large leave areas >4ha
Minimize disturbance to:
Warm aspect slopes
Open range
Young deciduous forest stands
Complex forest stands with understory
Coniferous stands (thermal/security)
Grasslands (grasses, herbs, burns)
Shrubs, saplings, birch, aspen, willow
Riparian reserves (river edges & bars)
Wetlands, slides/chutes and outcrop
Maintain a 60:40 balance between forage (young trees) : thermal/security (old trees)
Planning Measures:
Limit roads to secondary access on existing disturbance
Limit impacts to forest cover and elk forage (open range and early seral).
Minimize fragmentation
Retain
- Large leave areas (>4ha)
- Tree clusters every 200m for security cover
- A ratio of 60:20:20 of forage habitat: security/thermal cover: undefined habitat
Avoid:
- Warm aspect slopes
- Open range
- Young deciduous forest for forage
- Complex forest stands with understory
- Mature coniferous stands
- Grasslands (grasses, herbs, burns)
- Shrubs, saplings, birch, aspen, willow
- Riparian reserves (river edges & bars)
- Wetlands, slides/chutes and outcrop
Operational Measures:
No disturbance to wintering ungulates Nov01-April30
Minimize:
- Human disturbance
- Mechanical site preparation
ABA Guidance
Only activities with no locational flexibility, or no alternate routing, should be considered within this UWR.
Applications require a Mitigation Strategy
Exeptions: In consideration of General Wildlife Measures the following areas will be processsed as routine applications for UWR: u-9-001_SPE-001 and u-9-001_SPE-002, u-9-001_SPE-015, u-9-001_SPE-049 and u-9-001_SPE-050 and u-9-001_SPE-021
Avoidance is expected for all activities as these areas are sensitive to disturbance
Applications subject to an Enhanced Review Process
Applications require a Mitigation Strategy
Exceptions: In consideration of General Wildlife Measures the following areas will be managed as routine applications, not Regulatory Policy: u-9-001_ SPE-014 and u-9-001_SPE-025