We selected four wildfires and three harvest areas in Alberta's Upper Foothills Region approximately 10 years post-disturbance (Fig 3). Within each disturbance we located remnants with a lodgepole pine component which is the main species targeted for timber harvest in the region. Because timber harvests target specific forest types while wildfire is a more random process, we expect this will lead to some of the differences we see in plant community composition. 

Climate in the Upper Foothills is characterized by cold, snowy winters and cool, wet summers. The region is bounded by the moister, subalpine forests to the South and West and the milder and drier Lower Foothills to the North and East. The terrain is steep to rolling, with lodgepole pine dominating moist, well-drained sites, and white and black spruce inhabiting wetter areas.

The Upper Foothills have been home to Indigenous People for thousands of years. Indigenous stewardship of the region's forests, rivers and other resources continues to influence ecological processes today. 

After locating suitable remnants in each disturbance, we established a 90m transect centered on the forest edge, marking plots every 15m. A 100m transect was laid out at the reference edge (a nearby intact tract of forest with similar composition) with plots every 15m up to 45m and an "interior" plot 100m from the edge (Fig 4). At both transects, Vegetation plots were established every 5m within 20m of the edge. 

We measured diameter at breast height (DBH) and recorded species and decay class for every tree within a 14.6m diameter plot. Within a 2m diameter plot we counted number of of saplings >1.3m for each species present. Percent cover of vascular species was recorded within 1m diameter vegetation plots at plot center, and every 5m along the transect within 20m of the edge. We quantified volume and noted species and decay class of coarse woody debris (CWD) along six, 7.3m transects which radiated from plot center at 60° intervals. Soil organic layer depth and canopy closure were assessed from plot center. A TOMST TMS-4 datalogger recorded temperature and moisture near plot center from June to August (Fig 5).

Field work was completed between May and September, 2023. We established 12 arrays of microclimate sensors, four of which were in fire skips. Difficulty accessing our fire sites in the early season prevented us from installing sensors at additional fire sites.