Climate Change & BC
Range

Copyright © 2012
Cover Photo: Lauchlan Fraser
Published by: TRU Centre for Community and Ecosystem Ecology
Editors: Mercedes Cox, Lauchlan Fraser
Designer: Mercedes Cox
This project was funded by the Future Forest Ecosystems Scientific Council (FFESC), an initiative of the provincial government of BC to support research that
would inform adaptation of the forest and range management framework to climate change. The project presented via this website consisted of 10 teams with
the overall research being aimed at managing for the ecological and socioeconomic effects of climate change on BC rangelands.

Project Partners

Project Overview
Rangelands in British Columbia include grassland,
forest, wetland, and alpine range and occupy about 58
million ha, providing forage for grazing and browsing
animals. The majority of BC’s rangelands are owned by
the Crown (approximately 90%), while the rest is privately
owned. The province’s cattle industry is dependent on
sustainable range resources for both forage and hay
production. Rangeland also provides wildlife habitat,
wood products, tourism and outdoor recreation, as well
as education, and wildlife viewing opportunities. Our
goal is to inform sustainable management of rangelands
in the context of future climate change.
Grasslands are a key subset of BC’s rangelands and are
a rare ecosystem and provide habitat for many of BC’s
endangered plants and animals. Rangelands, especially
grasslands, are threatened by urban development,
agricultural conversion, tree encroachment and infill and
inappropriate grazing. Global climate change has the
potential to interact with the above disturbances, but
the consequences of these interactions for rangelands in
BC are not known. The interacting effects of disturbance
caused by grazing and climate change, a biological stress
on plant communities, will not likely be uniform across
rangelands. Variation of response is expected between
northern and southern latitudes of the province and by
species. The response of a species may depend on its
local environment including soil and site conditions.

The effect of climate change on rangelands was
investigated using a multi-pronged approach: a review
of past and ongoing climate change experiments, field
experimentation, socioeconomic analysis of natural
goods and services, a survey of the ranching community
to determine the ranching perception of climate change,
and incorporating the ecological and socioeconomic
findings in an integrated range management plan.
The research program provided:
•

•
•

opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration and
focus on potential effects of climate change on highvalue grassland ecosystems
opportunity to foster productive linkages between
universities, government and the ranching industry
financial support and training for graduate students.

This project was funded by the Future Forest Ecosystems
Scientific Council (FFESC), an initiative of the provincial
government of BC to support research that would
inform adaptation of the forest and range management
framework to climate change. The project presented
via this booklet consisted of 10 teams with the overall
research being aimed at managing for the ecological
and socioeconomic effects of climate change on BC
rangelands.

8–9

10–11 12–13

Climate change and cattle
ranching in BC. A snapshot
of how climate change is
perceived by the cattleranching community and
a discussion of future
management implications
and an assessment of
information needs. •

The relationships between
plant communities,
soil properties, and
topography are important
for predicting effects of
future climate change and
the spread of invasive plant
species.•

Climatic changes that
affect moisture availability,
particularly during the
winter, could have a
significant impact on
nitrogen inputs by
biological soil crusts.•

14–15 16–17 18–19
How plant communities
may change based on
shifting rainfall patterns,
and the effects this
may have on a host of
ecological processes is
fundamental to informed
land management.•

Rattlesnakes in BC are
an example of an at-risk
species that depend on
grassland ecosystems at
low to mid elevations. •

Assessing greenhouse
gas emissions from cattle
grazing on Crown range
land in the central interior
of BC, will help determine
the carbon footprint of BC’s
cattle ranching industry.•

20–21 22–23
Ranchers are the stewards
of much of British
Columbia’s grasslands,
and maintaining
economically viable
ranches is essential
in maintaining British
Columbia’s grassland
ecosystems•

Developing strategies that
will assist range managers
in dealing with a set of
future conditions that may
result from climate change
will be key in increasing
adaptability. •

Project Overview

Climate Change & Cattle Ranching in BC
Lauch Fraser, Robert Androkovich & Sadie Cox

Our Project
A survey was used to assess the perception of
ranchers within the BC cattle industry regarding
global climate change. The goal was to answer the
following questions:
• Have ranchers noticed changes in climate on
rangeland they use? What kind of changes?
Are those changes caused by global climate
change?

Cattle in a grazing pasture in Lac du Bois Provincial Park.
PHOTO: Lauchlan Fraser.

•

What is understood about climate change and
what it means?

•

Have management practices changed due to
changes in climate?

•

The perceived economic impact of any
identified changes.

A

griculture—including ranching—is among the most climate-sensitive sectors in most national economies and
climate variability increases the uncertainty associated with agriculture and rural livelihoods. The BC ranching

community will be pivotal in successful and effective planning of climate change adaptation strategies. Effective range
management and associated policies need to consider changes in annual temperature and precipitation patterns.

Our Methods

Project Outcomes

The survey design focused on capturing the current
understanding of what climate change is and to what degree
management practices have been adapted in response to
perceived changes in climate.

64% of 227 respondants either “somewhat” or “strongly”
agreed with the statement: Human activities are increasing
the rate at which global climate changes occur.

In partnership with the BC Cattlemen’s Association, a survey
was mailed to 581 cattle ranchers across the province. The
province was separated into six regions and half of the BCCA
members within each area were randomly selected to receive
the survey.

No economic cost was associated with management changes
directly attributed to changes in climate by over sixty
percent of respondants. The cost of additional fencing due
to pine beetle kill and related logging activites was the most
commonly identifed economic burden.

Future Directions
Information gathered from the survey will provide a
framework for developing educational materials providing
information to the cattle ranching community about climate
change. These materials will be delivered in the format
identified by survey respondents as most preferable.

“Global climate change needs to be
addressed on a personal level by education
because it will eventually affect all of us.
We have read conflicting information
about climate change--some say it’s history
repeating itself.”
— Survey Respondant

PHOTO: Justine McCulloch

Project Overview

Grassland Plant Communities Defined by
Abiotic Relationships
Gary Bradfield, Maja Krzic & Robbie Lee

BC

grasslands are an asset to the
province’s biodiversity, economy,

natural beauty, and recreation. For decades,
these areas have been largely modified and
reduced. They are now threatened by climate
change and exotic plant invasions. The ability of
land managers to adapt to the effects of climate
change and plant invasion depends on having the
Dr. Gary Bradfield, MSc student Robert Lee, and Dr. Maja Krzic (all of the University
of British Columbia, Vancouver). PHOTO: Dr. R. Newman

Group discussion
during study site
selection. PHOTO:
Dr. M. Krzic

best possible understanding of these systems.

Our Methods
We collected data on plant communities, selected soil
properties, and topography on 31 sites in Lac du Bois
Provincial Grasslands Park during May-July 2010.
Because this study is concerned with the potential effects
of climate change, sites were chosen on north and southfacing slopes to capture the variation in vegetation and
soils most likely to be affected by changes in temperature
and soil moisture at the same elevations.

Project Outcomes
Plant communities were associated with unique
environmental properties. For example, the bluebunch
wheatgrass/big sage group was associated with more
lichen, exposed rock, and compacted soil, while the rough
fescue/Kentucky bluegrass group was associated with
greater amounts of litter and higher soil fertility.
Stronger plant-soil feedbacks were found on north-facing
slopes, while on south-facing slopes the effect of slope
angle on heat and desiccation stress was an
important
factor shaping plant communities.
The highest occurrences of invasive species in
the study area were at the higher elevations,
likely in response to increasing precipitation,
lower temperatures, and higher soil fertility.

In summary:
• The relationship
of plant
communities
and soil
properties
is highly
dependent on
slope and aspect.
• The invasive
plant species
observed in
this study with
the highest
Dr. Gary Bradfield, MSc student Robert Lee, and Dr. Reg
Newman at a Lac du Bois grassland study site. PHOTO:
potential to
Dr. M. Krzic
persist
under conditions of
future change are Kentucky bluegrass, yellow salsify, and
cheatgrass.
• Continued sampling will be important to track changes
in the soil, plant communities, and invasive species
distributions of Lac du Bois.

Future Directions
The information gathered during this study can aid
grassland managers by adding to current knowledge
about the relationships between plant communities,
soil properties, and topography, which are important for
predicting effects of future climate change and the spread
of invasive plant species.•

Project Overview

Biological Soil Crusts
& Nutrient Cycling
in Grassland Soils/
Darwyn Coxson, Paul Sandborn & Kasia Caputa

B

iological soil crusts are an often underappreciated
component of BC’s grasslands. Found on the soil

surface in areas unoccupied by grasses and other plants,
these communities of lichens, mosses, cyanobacteria and

Project Outline
This project consisted of two main parts:

algae hold soil particles together, improving the stability
of the soil and preventing erosion by wind and water. Soil
crusts also improve the fertility of soils by adding carbon

1. Assess the importance of biological soil crusts to soil
nutrient status across elevation gradients.
2. Model rates of nitrogen fixation by biological soil crusts
during different seasonal periods.

via photosynthesis, and nitrogen through the process
of biological nitrogen fixation. Any changes in annual
temperature and precipitation patterns may have significant
impacts on annual rates of nitrogen fixation and the
contribution of biological soil crusts to soil nutrient pools.

Methods
We compared the total carbon, nitrogen and mineralizable
nitrogen in the crust and underlying soil. Samples were
taken at varying elevations in order to assess the effect
of temperature and moisture availability on the carbon
and nitrogen content of soil crusts. This field work was
conducted in Lac du Bois Provincial Park, near Kamloops, B.C.

A significant proportion of yearly physiological activity in Chilcotin biological soil
crusts occurs during snowmelt episodes during late winter and early spring.

Soil microclimate (temperature, light and
moisture) was measured over a two-year
period in an upper and lower elevation
grassland in the Chilcotin region of BC.

ABOVE: Rates of nitrogen
fixation in biological soil crusts
were estimated using acetylene reduction assays in sealed
glass cuvettes. RIGHT: Project graduate student Kasia Caputa
downloading climate data from field monitoring station.

availability of moisture from snowmelt.
We collected samples of the biological soil crust from the
same area to measure rates of nitrogen fixation. These
measurements were done under controlled alterations of
temperature, light and moisture find response curves for
nitrogen fixation rates against soil microclimate.

Project Results
• Biological soil crusts are an important source of carbon
and nitrogen in grassland soils
• The late winter period appears to be particularly
important for nitrogen fixation activity due to the ample

• Climatic changes that affect moisture availability,
particularly during the winter, could have a significant
impact on nitrogen inputs by biological soil crusts.

Future Directions
The nitrogen fixation modelling could be applied to higher
elevation soil crust communities and also to carbon cycling
by measuring net photosynthesis and dark respiration in
soil crusts. •

Project Overview

Experimental Precipitation
Effects on Grasslands/
Lauch Fraser, Justine McCulloch, Anna Sapoznikova & Don Thompson

U

nderstanding the response of grasslands to the
combined effects of precipitation changes and

grazing pressures as global climate continue to change
will facilitate informed management and conservation
decisions.

manipulations in either the spring or fall. Grazing was
simulated by clipping plants.

Project Outline

We measured total plant cover, presence and cover of
each species, total growth, soil water and temperature,
and soil carbon.

We asked the following questions:
1. How does changing the season and size of rainfall events
affect grassland plant diversity and growth?
2. How does soil carbon (C) change with these rain and
grazing treatments and how might this affect soil carbon
storage potential for carbon sequestration?

Methods
Four combinations of hand watering treatments were
applied to different frequencies of controlled rainfall

Project Results
Plant community biomass was reduced with clipping,
but the rainfall treatment did not affect biomass or
diversity.
An increase in frequency of fall precipitation increased

Rainout shelters are used in Lac du Bois Provincial Park for the
controlled manipulation of precipitation treatments. PHOTO: Justine
McCulloch.

Demonstrating the effectiveness of the rainout shelter following a
natural rain event. PHOTO: Justine McCulloch.

soil carbon. Clipping (grazing) during fall also
increased soil carbon, but only in certain grasslands.

Future Directions
Basic research on how plant communities may
change based on shifting rainfall patterns, and
the effects this may have on a host of ecological
processes is fundamental to informed land
management.
Accounting for changing climate effects on soil,
litter, biomass, growth, nutrient cycling and shifting
species composition will allow for commercial
use of grasslands in the ranching industry while
maintaining ecological integrity.

Project Overview

Thermal Habitat use by Northern Pacific
Rattlesnakes: a GIS Mapping Approach/
Karl Larsen, John Surgenor & Jessica Gosling

LEFT: Handling a Northern Pacific Rattlesnake in the field using snake tubes. PHOTO:
John Surgenor. RIGHT: Northern Pacific Rattlesnake being handled with snake tongs near
Penticton BC. PHOTO: Jessica Gosling.

Project Outline
The objectives of this study were to:

R

attlesnakes in BC have
generally been associated with grassland and open

Ponderosa Pine ecosystems at low to mid elevations,
but forest habitat use has recently been recorded. As
rattlesnakes are ectothermic, this habitat selection may
be driven by the thermal attributes of the ecosystem.

•  Refine and test a thermal mapping model to model
summer movements and habitat use of rattlesnakes in the
BC Interior
•  Explore the ramifications
of various climate change
scenarios on the conservation
of rattlesnakes, using the
thermal-mapping model tool.
Forest habitat for Northern Pacific rattlesnakes
near Penticton BC. PHOTO: Jessica Gosling.

Typical grassland habitat used by rattlesnakes in BC. PHOTO: Jessica Gosling.

Six study sites were located in the Thompson-Nicola
region and four in the Okanagan-Similkameen. Snakes
were radio-tracked for the length of their active season
and movement, habitat and thermal data were collected for detailed behavioural analysis of these animals.

Results

Methods
We used a GIS thermal-landscape model, developed by the
Grassland Conservation Council (GCC) to thermal-map the
landscapes surrounding a large sample of about 25 dens
recorded in the provincial database, using incident solar radiation as a proxy for temperature.
This allowed us to generate predictions on where snakes
from these dens will travel in the
summer, and whether snakes from
specific dens are expected to cross
major habitat boundaries or not.
Over two years, 35 snakes from 10
dens were captured and implanted
with radio-transmitters and
temperature data-loggers.

•  Use of forested habitats by tagged animals occured
at seven of the 10 dens, while the snakes from the
remaining dens used grassland habitat only. In the
Thompson-Nicola regions, we saw consistent behaviours from all the snakes at an individual den . In the
Okanagan-Similkameen, some individuals from each
den used grassland habitat exclusively, while others
travelled to higher elevation forest habitat.
•  Outward movements took place from the beginning
of May to September. The maximum distance from a
den was 3.9km with total movements ranging from 1.5
to 3.9km in the Thompson and 373m to 3.4km in the
Okanagan. Snakes began returning to dens as early as
the beginning of August, with some remaining kilometres away until September.
•  The majority of snakes are using habitats that
provide a thermal advantage on both landscape and
local scales. There is a fitness advantage to snakes
using forest habitat that may be attributed to thermal
factors.•

Project Overview

Cattle Methane Emissions

John Church, Doug Veira, Peter Tsigaris, George Penfold, Jon van Hamme, Alan Iwaasa & Allan Raymond

Left: Cows and
calves graze in a
pasture in Lac du
Bois grasslands.
Right: Cow being
fitted with the
halter and PVC
yoke used for
sample collection.
PHOTOS: John
Church

M

ethane (CH4) is a greenhouse gas (GHG) whose

million metric ton) of methane per year, accounting for

atmospheric concentrations have increased

about 20-25 percent of the global anthropogenic CH4

dramatically over the last century. Methane released to the

emissions, and roughly 12 percent of the total atmospheric

atmosphere by domestic ruminant livestock is considered

CH4 load. Methane is considered by many to be one of the

one of the three largest anthropogenic sources. Globally,

largest potential contributors to climate change.

ruminant livestock emit roughly 80Tg (1 Tg = 10 12 g = 1

Project Objectives

Project Outcomes

The purpose of this study was to assist producers to
accurately assess greenhouse gas emissions from cattle
grazing on crown range land in the central interior of BC,
and incorporate this information into a whole system
modelling approach to determine the carbon footprint of
BC’s cattle ranching industry.

The cattle grazing in Lac du Bois Grasslands Park produced
approximately 364.06 L/day of CH4 during this study,
comparable to the amount observed by other research
groups for beef-type animals (Ding et al. 2010).

This study had two distinct, yet inter-related
components:
1. Methane measurements using the SF6 tracer
technique from cattle grazing the grasslands of
the central interior of British Columbia.
2. A thorough accounting of the environmental
impacts of the ranching industry in the
grasslands of the central interior of BC through
life cycle assessment modeling.

Project Methods
In the sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) tracer method,
a tube containing SF6 gas was inserted into
the rumen of the cattle. A halter fitted with a capillary tube
was placed on the animal’s head and connected to an
evacuated sampling canister (PVC yoke). After collecting
a daily sample, the yoke is removed, pressurized with
nitrogen, and then the methane and SF6 concentrations
were determined by gas chromatography.
Six young cows were sampled. The cows had tubes
“installed” in the rumen in advance (seven days) of the
animals (with calves). The sampling program consisted of
four, five-day sampling periods during the grazing season.

The six young cows produced more CH4 in the spring
vs. the fall grazing period (369.63 vs. 358.50 L/day). We
had anticipated more CH4 in the fall as the digestibility
of the plants begins to drop off. The increase in CH4 in
the spring may be attributable to the metabolic stress of
lactation, which often necessitates a dramatic increase in
feed consumption. The cows were likely at peak lactation
during the spring; whereas the metabolic demand from the
nursing calves would have decreased in the fall.

Future Directions
This research has provided significant insight into the
environmental footprint of cattle production on BC
rangelands from an emissions perspective. While beef
cattle do produce greenhouse gas emissions, especially
from the enteric CH4 produced by the mature beef cows as
measured empirically in this study, grasslands of the central
interior have huge potential to offset those emissions
through carbon sequestration. The key outcome from this
research was to provide the ranching community with
insight with respect to their carbon footprint; to pinpoint
the sources of greenhouse gas emissions from their
operations, and to provide the information enabling them
to effectively add value to their products by marketing
and branding them as healthy, environmentally-friendly
alternatives.•

Project Overview

Managing Rangelands for Carbon Storage/
Bill Harrower, Lauch Fraser, Cameron Carlyle, Peter deKoning & Amber Cowie

R

anchers are the stewards of much of British
Columbia’s grasslands, and maintaining

economically viable ranches is essential in maintaining
British Columbia’s grassland ecosystems. Using carbon
trading and offset programs to develop new revenue
sources for ranchers may help alleviate economic
pressures ranchers currently face, allow for improved
flexible land management practices that adapt and
withstand climate fluctuations, and maintain many
of the biological, cultural, and aesthetic values our
grasslands provide for generations to come.

Project Outline
In this project we explore the viability of a carbon offset program
in British Columbia’s grasslands, and attempt to outline a path to
achieving such a program.
We focus on the following objectives:
1) Describe what a carbon offset scheme could look like;
following from previous examples and existing infrastructure;
2) Document carbon stores in different grassland types in a key
focus region of southern Interior of British Columbia; using 3
hypothetical examples linked directly to grazing ecology.
3) Estimate the economic potential for carbon sequestration
in focal regions; is the work required to develop a program
worthwhile?

Project Outcomes
The grasslands of the Thompson-Nicola contain, on
average, 15.79 Mg of elemental carbon per hectare (C/
ha). Lower grasslands hold 18.84 Mg C/ha, more than
both the upper and middle grasslands.

Future Directions

Though upper grasslands hold less C/ha than lower
grasslands, they constitute approximately 60% of
grasslands, and represent 55% of total carbon stored in
all grasslands of the region.
High abundance of sagebrush
in the lower grasslands
make for large stores of
aboveground carbon, making
carbon storage in the lower
grasslands higher than both
middle and upper elevation
grasslands. However, apart
from sage removal grazing
management is unlikely to
impact sagebrush carbon
pools significantly.

Project Overview

Planning for Climate Change in Range
Management/
Reg Newman, Rick Tucker, Russ Walton & Brian Wallace

Our Project
The project consisted of three components:
•  Climate change modelling
•   Impact assessment
•   Adaptation strategies

Our Methods

that may result from climate change. The work was focused on a single

Previous climate change modelling work for
forests was adapted to determine the impacts
of climate change on range management. The
potential impacts of climate change on range
vegetation were examined by:
• assessment by a panel of specialists using
field and office-based methods
• development of a predictive forage model.
Based on our detailed considerations we
developed administrative and legislative
options and provided guidance for developing
forward-looking operational plans for
adapting to a number of future climate change
scenarios and associated impacts.

range management unit so that the results could be directly applied to

Project Outcomes

Field workshop in Lac du Bois Provincial Park near Kamloops, BC.

T

he objective of this project was to develop strategies that will
assist range managers in dealing with a set of future conditions

Key strategies developed:
operational management.

• Maintain an aggressive weed control program against
high priority weeds.
• Start the process of reducing AUM allocation for
pastures where declines in forage supply due to climate
change can be verified.

• range managers to increase their awareness of
environmental changes through observation and
quantitative monitoring; and
• plans that consider and prepare for a number of future
possibilities are developed. •

• Start the process of increasing AUM allocation for
pastures where increases in forage supply due to
climate change can be verified.
• Develop a monitoring program to detect forage
supply changes resulting from climate change.
• Adopt livestock management regulations and
practices adaptable to low or highly variable forage
supply.

Future Directions
The successful adaptation of range management to
climate change in BC will require:
• stakeholders understand and agree on the extent
and impacts of climate change;
• a revised expectation for rangelands
• range managers at all levels to develop a culture
that recognizes and expects constantly changing
abiotic and biotic environments;

Predicted forage potential for current and future climates in the Tranquille Stock Range area.

Have Questions?
P: 250.377.6135
E: climatechangeandbcrange@gmail.com
website: climatechangeandbcrange.net

Project Lead:
Lauchlan H. Fraser, PhD
Professor & Canada Research Chair in Community and Ecosystem Ecology
Department of Natural Resource Sciences and Biological Sciences
Thompson Rivers University
900 McGill Road, PO Box 3010
Kamloops, BC
Canada V2C 5N3
lfraser@tru.ca