Are we crossing ecological thresholds by salvage logging in landscapes disturbed by mountain pine beetle?

The theory of ecological resilience focuses on ecosystem processes that can breach thresholds and cause a loss of resilience and a switch to an altered trajectory. Using this theory, I propose hypotheses about habitat changes caused by salvage harvesting following disturbance by mountain pine beetle in Canada. Thresholds could be breached in species, soil or hydrological processes because of habitat changes. I summarize three lessons from the literature about the effects of habitat change on thresholds in species processes. Thresholds relate to the amount and quality of habitat essential for species persistence. Thresholds occur across scales according to species’ perceptions of the landscape, and can be induced by an accelerated rate of change. Thresholds are breached as a consequence of traits such as reproduction and species interactions. Policy makers can better elucidate the costs and consequences of breaching thresholds by implementing policy for salvage harvesting that supports adaptive management.