The Comparative Aquatics Effects Program

Research Team

• Rob Mackereth, Research Scientist
• Darren McCormick, Aquatic Effects Analyst
• Bruce Thacker, Senior Research Technician
• Blake LaPorte, A/ Senior Research Technician
• Hayley Veldhoen, Research Technician
• Eric Berglund, Project Biologist

Forest management activities have the potential to adversely impact aquatic environments which threatens the health and sustainability of forest ecosystems. In order to meet the requirements of legislation, such as the Crown Forest Sustainability Act and the Federal Fisheries Act, forest managers need to plan mitigative measures to minimize and avoid adverse impacts to aquatic systems.  Impacts can range from small scale changes in aquatic habitats to watershed scale changes in water quantity and quality.  The goal of this research program is to evaluate the effectiveness of forest management guidelines designed to protect aquatic ecosystems and to develop improved guidelines, planning tools and monitoring techniques.  Projects in the program focus primarily on small stream systems which, due to their small size and abundance in the forest, are particularly vulnerable to disturbance. 

Projects include:

1. Development and validation of GIS based models to locate and classify small streams during forest management planning
2. Studies of the changes in the physical, chemical and thermal characteristics of stream habitat in response to various forest management practices
3. Examinations of the spatial ecology and life history characteristics of brook trout, a species that is a good indicator of stream health due to their requirements for clear cold water
4. Measuring the impacts of culverts on habitat, stream connectivity and stream fish communities
5. Monitoring hydrologic response of catchments and terrestrial-aquatic hydrologic linkages to forest management, including water quantity, quality and flow dynamics.

Further program details can be found in the CAEP Brochure (pdf - 2676kb) 

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Rob Mackereth
Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research
Ministry of Natural Resources
955 Oliver Road
Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7B 5E1
Phone: (807) 343-4009
Fax: (807) 343-4001
rob.mackereth@ontario.ca