Forest Co-op Northern Goshawk Project
The northern goshawk is a large, forestdwelling raptor that is widely but sparsely distributed in Ontario.
The nests of all raptors in Ontario are protected by law under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. Goshawk nests are protected further through the application of forest management guidelines which require an Area of Concern (AOC). However, in the Boreal forest, goshawk nests are not easily detected and are often discovered during the course of harvesting operations. Therefore, AOCs may be functionally smaller than the guidelines suggest, potential non-compliance issues may arise for forestry operations and unexpected reductions in wood supply can occur.
The Forest Co-op Northern Goshawk Project was a one-year, $112,000 project to quantify the habitat requirements of goshawks at multiple scales in Ontario. The knowledge generated from this research, that was completed midyear 2004, provides important scientific data on wildlife, specifically the northern goshawk, to help facilitate better resource management. Results from this project, which is the first phase of a larger initiative, will be used to develop a spatial habitat supply model for goshawks and to test the effectiveness of Ontario habitat guidelines. Completion of these longer-term objectives is anticipated by the end of 2005.
PhD Thesis Report
The PhD thesis of project lead, Peter Bush, entitled "A Multi-Scale Analysis of Northern Goshawk Habitat in Ontario" is available for download.