Comparison of the understory vegetation in boreal forest types of southwest Quebec

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (9) ◽  
pp. 1019-1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Légaré ◽  
Yves Bergeron ◽  
Alain Leduc ◽  
David Paré
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Ecosystem Processes ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Understory Vegetation ◽  
Light Transmittance ◽  
White Birch ◽  
Surface Deposit

Variation in canopy composition can influence ecosystem processes, such as nutrient cycling and light transmittance, even when environmental soil conditions are similar. To determine whether forest cover type influences species composition of the understory vegetation (herbs and shrubs), the composition of this layer was studied on two different surface deposits, clay and till, and under four different forest cover types dominated, respectively, by Populus tremuloïdes Michx. (aspen), Betula papyrifera Marsh. (white birch), Pinus banksiana Lamb. (jack pine), and Picea glauca (Moench) Voss – Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. (spruce–fir) over similar environmental conditions. Detrended correspondence analysis and analysis of variance performed on the ordination scores revealed that understory plant composition was highly affected by surface deposit and forest cover. The gradient observed in the correspondence analysis proceeds from aspen, white birch, spruce–fir, to jack pine. Indicator species were identified for each surface deposit and cover type, and most of them were associated with either jack pine or aspen. The richness, evenness, and diversity of the understory vegetation did not vary between cover types, but were affected by surface deposit. By controlling ecosystem processes such as light transmittance and nutrient cycling, forest cover influences understory composition.Key words: cover, understory, composition, boreal forest, environmental condition.

Forest floor mass and nutrients in two chronosequences of plantations: Jack pine vs. black spruce

1998 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut Krause
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Picea Mariana ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Pine Plantations ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Natural Forests

The purpose of this study was to determine whether change of forest cover had an effect on the development of the organic surface horizons, particularly on those variables that influence nutrient cycling and forest productivity. Jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) and black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] B.S.P.) plantations were selected from among the youngest to oldest (2–16 yr) within a 100 km2 area in southeastern New Brunswick. Natural forests were also included as benchmark sites. The forest floor and tree foliage was sampled and trees measured on 0.05-ha plots. The forest floor samples were used to determine organic mass, nutrient contents and pH. In pine plantations, organic matter accumulated rapidly during the period of exponential tree growth, but leveled off at about 45 Mg ha–1. This was within the range of benchmark sites with mixed conifer-hardwood cover. In spruce plantations, the forest floor mass ranged upward to 77 Mg ha–1. Development was strongly influenced by the nature of the previous forest. Spruce forest floors were on average more acid and had lower nutrient concentrations, particularly N and Ca. The observed differences suggest that nutrients are recycled more rapidly in the pine plantations, partly explaining the superior growth of the latter. Key words: Forest floor, Kalmia angustifolia L., Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P., Pinus banksiana Lamb., nutrient cycling, plantation forest

Light attenuation by early successional plants of the boreal forest

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 812-823 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christy Shropshire ◽  
Robert G Wagner ◽  
F Wayne Bell ◽  
Clarence J Swanton
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Rubus Idaeus ◽  
Pteridium Aquilinum ◽  
White Birch ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Plant Canopies ◽  
Crown Cover ◽  
Green Alder

The influence of eight early successional plant species from the boreal forest on photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) were compared using a controlled plant competition study. Four woody (green alder, Alnus crispa (Ait.) Pursh; upland willow, Salix humilis Marsh.; white birch, Betula papyrifera Marsh.; wild red raspberry, Rubus idaeus L.) and four herbaceous (eastern bracken fern, Pteridium aquilinum L.; bluejoint grass, Calamagrostis canadensis Michx.; large-leaved aster, Aster macrophyllus L.; fireweed, Epilobium angustifolium L.) plant species were studied using an additive density experiment with jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) seedlings. The transmission of PAR through the plant canopies was measured using a line quantum sensor under six plant density treatments at the time of maximum canopy development each year. Four measures of plant abundance (planting density, actual density, projected leaf area index, and crown cover) were evaluated for their ability to predict PAR transmission through the plant canopies. Visual estimates of crown cover provided the best models each year. Vertical profiles of PAR transmission were used to compare the canopy structure among plant species and were used to refine the models. During the second growing season, increasing crown cover of bluejoint grass and large-leaved aster had the largest influence on PAR. In the third season, green alder, upland willow, and white birch (along with bluejoint grass and fireweed at the jack pine crown level) had the greatest influence on PAR. PAR measurements taken from a nearby forest for several of the plant species indicate that the models developed from our controlled experiment are reasonably applicable to naturally occurring plant populations.

scholarly journals What does it mean to put caribou knowledge into an ecosystem context?

Rangifer ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Fred H. Harrington
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Complex Systems ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Energy Flow ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Ecosystem Processes ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Temporal Scale ◽  
The Future

Ecosystems are envisioned as integrated, complex systems with both living and non-living components, that are linked through processes of energy flow and nutrient cycling (Bowen, 1971; Ricklefs, 1979). The ecosystem approach seeks to describe the components of this system, the pathways through which energy and nutrients move, and the processes that govern that movement. The goal is a better understanding of the role or effect of each component (abiotic or biotic) within the system. Theorerically, the more we know, the better we can predict the future behaviour of the ecosystem and therefore manage the system on whatever sustainable basis we deem appropriate. Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) presently inhabit two ecosystems, tundra (arctic and alpine) and taiga (or boreal forest), both characterized by relatively low productivity and diversity (Bowen, 1971; Bliss, 1981; Bonan, 1992a). As increased anthropogenic impacts are expected in these ecosystems through the next century, our ability to ensure the continued survival of caribou requires that we pay increasing attention to the processes that drive these systems. In this endeavour, an awareness of the effects of both spatial and temporal scale, in both ecosystem processes and our research programs to understand those processes, is critical.

scholarly journals Synthesizing published knowledge of boreal forest cover change for large-scale landscape dynamics modelling

2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis Yemshanov ◽  
Ajith H Perera
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Succession ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Forest Cover Change ◽  
Discrete State

We reviewed the published knowledge on forest succession in the North American boreal biome for its applicability in modelling forest cover change over large extents. At broader scales, forest succession can be viewed as forest cover change over time. Quantitative case studies of forest succession in peer-reviewed literature are reliable sources of information about changes in forest canopy composition. We reviewed the following aspects of forest succession in literature: disturbances; pathways of post-disturbance forest cover change; timing of successional steps; probabilities of post-disturbance forest cover change, and effects of geographic location and ecological site conditions on forest cover change. The results from studies in the literature, which were mostly based on sample plot observations, appeared to be sufficient to describe boreal forest cover change as a generalized discrete-state transition process, with the discrete states denoted by tree species dominance. In this paper, we outline an approach for incorporating published knowledge on forest succession into stochastic simulation models of boreal forest cover change in a standardized manner. We found that the lack of details in the literature on long-term forest succession, particularly on the influence of pre-disturbance forest cover composition, may be limiting factors in parameterizing simulation models. We suggest that the simulation models based on published information can provide a good foundation as null models, which can be further calibrated as detailed quantitative information on forest cover change becomes available. Key words: probabilistic model, transition matrix, boreal biome, landscape ecology

Effects of commercial thinning on site occupancy and habitat use by spruce grouse in boreal Quebec

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 501-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ambroise Lycke ◽  
Louis Imbeau ◽  
Pierre Drapeau
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Site Occupancy ◽  
Lower Proportion ◽  
Large Mammals ◽  
Dense Vegetation ◽  
Commercial Thinning

Partial cuts are increasingly proposed to maintain habitats for species negatively affected by clearcutting, even if their benefits on nonpasserine birds and large mammals are still poorly documented. Our main objective was to evaluate effects of commercial thinning (CT) on spruce grouse ( Falcipennis canadensis L.), a game bird of the boreal forest. Because this species is known to be associated with a dense vegetation cover, we hypothesized that habitat use would be lower in treated sites. In spring 2006, we evaluated site occupancy in 94 forest stands (50 CT and 44 uncut stands) in Quebec by visiting each on three occasions during the breeding season (March–May). Additionally, during the molting period (May–July), we used radiotelemetry to monitor habitat use by 19 males. As compared with uncut stands, results show that a lower proportion of CTs were used in spring (39% versus 60%, after accounting for detection). During the molting period, CTs were also used less than expected according to their availability. The significant reduction of lateral and vertical forest cover in CT may explain these results. We conclude that even if CT is perceived beneficial for wildlife, it does not completely fulfill the needs of species associated with dense understory vegetation, such as spruce grouse.

Portrait préindustriel dans un contexte de grande variabilité naturelle: une étude de cas dans le centre du Québec (Canada)

2011 ◽  
Vol 87 (05) ◽  
pp. 612-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Alvarez ◽  
Louis Bélanger ◽  
Louis Archambault ◽  
Frédéric Raulier
Keyword(s):  
Temperate Forest ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Forest Succession ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
White Birch ◽  
Industrial Landscape ◽  
Industrial Forest ◽  
Landscape Scales

Pre-industrial forest cover portrait is a recognized method for establishing the bases of sustainable forest management. However, it is a spatially and temporally dependant concept that should be used with caution in presence of big fires. The objective of the study was to portray the pre-industrial landscape in a mixedwood temperate forest in central Quebec at different spatial scales. The study was based on archival records from a forest company. The pre-industrial forest cover landscape of our study area was mainly composed of mature or old-growth (>100 years) stands and dominated by mixedwood forest stands with intolerant hardwoods. The main tree species were white birch, black spruce and jack pine, three species associated to forest succession after fire in the boreal forest. Considering the great variability caused by the fires and partial knowledge of this variability, for each spatial scale considered, we propose some management targets based on the main pre-industrial characteristics of this forest. To respect the pre-industrial variability, our study suggested that silviculture should be adapted at different landscape scales. Cover types and age class targets should be based on main preindustrial characteristics at each landscape scale analyzed.

scholarly journals Large-area mapping of Canadian boreal forest cover, height, biomass and other structural attributes using Landsat composites and lidar plots

2018 ◽  
Vol 209 ◽  
pp. 90-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giona Matasci ◽  
Txomin Hermosilla ◽  
Michael A. Wulder ◽  
Joanne C. White ◽  
Nicholas C. Coops ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Canadian Boreal Forest

Hardiness of jack pine hybrids and provenances in the boreal forest

1972 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-31
Author(s):  
C. W. Yeatman ◽  
M. J. Holst
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Pine Hybrids

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