Do alpine hiking trails show
evidence of edge effects?
evidence of edge effects?
Research Methods
Figure 5: Study site location
Study site:
Fieldwork was conducted on Cardinal Divide, located in Whitehorse Wildland Provincial Park (Figure 5). The park is located in the Nikanassin Range, in the Front Ranges of the Canadian Rockies, near Cadomin, AB. The Divide is a ridgetop environment that lies at the interface of the subalpine and alpine subregions. Trees and krummholz patches are common, but ground-level vegetation communities are made up of tundra species. Community type varies with changes in topography, but overall the most common community type found on the Divide is dry meadow tundra dominated by Dryas integrifolia.
Whitehorse Wildland Park is a relatively recent addition to Alberta's provincial park system, having been established in the late-1990s. The history of human use on Cardinal Divide goes back further than that, however. Since the Divide became accessible by road several decades ago, it has been used by recreationists of all sorts - hikers, mountain bikers, horse riders and ATV users (J. Gould & A. Dinwoodie, personal communication). There was no formal management of these activities, and as a result, impact was not always contained to the main trail that runs along the ridgetop. This can be seen today in the form of secondary trails running parallel to the main trail, by the presence of braided trails and by tire ruts and tracks still visible in off-trail areas.
Fieldwork was conducted on Cardinal Divide, located in Whitehorse Wildland Provincial Park (Figure 5). The park is located in the Nikanassin Range, in the Front Ranges of the Canadian Rockies, near Cadomin, AB. The Divide is a ridgetop environment that lies at the interface of the subalpine and alpine subregions. Trees and krummholz patches are common, but ground-level vegetation communities are made up of tundra species. Community type varies with changes in topography, but overall the most common community type found on the Divide is dry meadow tundra dominated by Dryas integrifolia.
Whitehorse Wildland Park is a relatively recent addition to Alberta's provincial park system, having been established in the late-1990s. The history of human use on Cardinal Divide goes back further than that, however. Since the Divide became accessible by road several decades ago, it has been used by recreationists of all sorts - hikers, mountain bikers, horse riders and ATV users (J. Gould & A. Dinwoodie, personal communication). There was no formal management of these activities, and as a result, impact was not always contained to the main trail that runs along the ridgetop. This can be seen today in the form of secondary trails running parallel to the main trail, by the presence of braided trails and by tire ruts and tracks still visible in off-trail areas.
Figure 6: Study design
Data collection:
Data were collected in a series of transects, each of which contained seven vegetation plots, each laid out at a different distance from the trail (Figure 6). The first plot was placed at trail centre, the second at the trail edge; the rest were placed at 2, 5, 10, 15 and 50m away from the trail. In each plot we listed the vascular species present and estimated the percent cover of each. We also estimated the percent cover of exposed rock, bare soil, lichens, mosses, litter and soil crust. In addition, we measured soil compaction in each plot using a pocket penetrometer. Slope and aspect were measured at the transect level. The exception to this is the 50m plots: because they were so far from the rest of the plots we measured their slope and aspect individually. A total of 42 transects were sampled. For the analyses I will be presenting on this website, the trail plots will be excluded as they are not relevant to the questions I am addressing here.
Data were collected in a series of transects, each of which contained seven vegetation plots, each laid out at a different distance from the trail (Figure 6). The first plot was placed at trail centre, the second at the trail edge; the rest were placed at 2, 5, 10, 15 and 50m away from the trail. In each plot we listed the vascular species present and estimated the percent cover of each. We also estimated the percent cover of exposed rock, bare soil, lichens, mosses, litter and soil crust. In addition, we measured soil compaction in each plot using a pocket penetrometer. Slope and aspect were measured at the transect level. The exception to this is the 50m plots: because they were so far from the rest of the plots we measured their slope and aspect individually. A total of 42 transects were sampled. For the analyses I will be presenting on this website, the trail plots will be excluded as they are not relevant to the questions I am addressing here.
