Revised Final Environmental Study Report (24 MB) - Gold Canyon ...

Gold Canyon Resources Inc.
Springpole Gold Access Corridor Project
Final Environmental Study Report
Photograph 6-1: Modified Alignment of Birch River Bridge
Towards Pickerel Arm Camps
6.4 Habitat Fragmentation
In accordance with section 3 of MNR (2003), habitat fragmentation is considered in Table 7-1 and 7-
2 under the screening criterion Natural vegetation and terrestrial habitat linkages or corridors
through fragmentation, alteration and/or critical loss. In Table 7-2, this criterion has been screened
as low negative effect but further context is provided in this section. The potential impacts to caribou
habitat are considered separately and are discussed in Appendices 4 and 10.
The proposed access corridor would provide access to a resource definition project and timber
harvesting project on private land. This undertaking may have a fragmentation effect of breaking up
contiguous blocks of habitat. The timber harvesting that is a part of this Project will create a
landscape of both mature and regenerating stands. From a wildlife habitat perspective this will
create young stands that favour certain species and older stands that favour other species and it is
recognized that harvesting and regeneration creates changing habitats. This concept is a complex
issue with no universally accepted solutions. The MNR in a technical report entitled Landscape
Analysis for Forest Management Planning in Boreal Northeastern Ontario state that “…our
understanding of how landscape composition and configuration affect ecosystem processes,
biodiversity and sustainability is still largely incomplete” (Bridge et al, 2000). While other research
cited in this paper also state that forest harvesting and subsequent silvicultural practices can alter
landscape patterns (Spies et al, 1994; Gustafson and Crow 1996) that has implications for resulting
biological diversity and ecosystem function (Harris 1984; Rosenburg and Raphael 1986; Gustafson
and Crow 1994; Weir and Johnson 1998).
With respect to the Project and this draft ESR, GCU has solely undertaken a comparative analysis
of two (2) alternative access corridors to evaluate potential environmental effects. Based on the
analysis herein and as further described in DST (2012), the eastern corridor is regarded as having a
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