Aspen Sprout and Shrub Cover -Waterton Lakes - Conservation and Restoration Project (Fescue)

Waterton Lakes National Park (WLNP) protects one of the last tracts of native fescue prairie habitat in the Parks Canada system. Native Fescue grasslands are an important element of biodiversity in the park, as well as an endangered ecosystem in Canada. It is not just aspen encroachment that is a concern, but also the increasing density of existing aspen stands. Aspen sprouts (aspen < 2.5m height) and shrubs adjacent to grasslands will be removed through prescribed burning of grassland areas, with the goal of increasing the area of fescue grasslands in the project area's prescribed burn units by 2019 through removal of 5% of 2014 shrub and aspen sprout cover. Remote sensing technologies are used to asses this measure.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Last Updated April 17, 2026, 19:19 (UTC)
Created April 17, 2026, 19:19 (UTC)
contact_email robert.sissons@pc.gc.ca
contact_person {}
criticality_level ["educators", "nongovernmental_organizations", "scientists", "students"]
data_dictionary []
geographic_scope []
open_canada_collection primary
open_canada_date_published 2017-10-01 00:00:00
open_canada_keywords {"fr": ["prairies de fétuques", "empiètement des plantes ligneuses", "densité des peuplements", "couvert de jeunes trembles", "couvert d’arbustes", "brûlage dirigé", "SIG", "Alberta"], "en": ["fecue grasslands", "woody encroachment", "stand density", "aspen sprout cover", "shrub cover", "prescribed burning", "GIS", "Alberta"]}
open_canada_subject ["nature_and_environment"]
sensitivity_level unrestricted
title_fr Couvert de jeunes trembles et d’arbustes - Lacs-Waterton - projet de Conservation et de Restauration (fétuques)
update_frequency as_needed