Stand composition and structure of the boreal mixedwood and epigaeic arthropods of the Ecosystem Management Emulating Natural Disturbance (EMEND) landbase in northwestern Alberta

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 417-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy T Work ◽  
David P Shorthouse ◽  
John R Spence ◽  
W Jan A Volney ◽  
David Langor
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Coarse Filter ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Coarse Woody Material

Conservation of biological diversity under the natural disturbance model of boreal forest management relies on the assumption that natural mosaics of stand composition and structure can be adequately recreated through forest management activities. Maintaining compositional and structural features that provide adequate habitat for species within managed stands is the basis of coarse-filter conservation strategies. Here we test the effect of stand composition and stand structure on the epigaeic arthropod fauna from four boreal mixedwood cover types in western Canada. We observed differences in epigaeic community composition and species-specific associations among each of the four cover types. Differences in the carabid fauna between cover types were defined by relative abundance of carabid species associated specifically with moss cover, forb cover, and of coarse woody material, rather than unique, stand-specific species compositions of the overstory. Cover-type differences were less apparent among the comparatively species-rich spider assemblages largely because of their low abundance in undisturbed stands. For the effective conservation of all species, our results suggest that coarse-filter management of mixedwood boreal forests must incorporate structural features beyond overstory canopy composition. Our analyses also suggest that activities directed at managing the amount of coarse woody material on the ground and understory plant composition, perhaps through variable retention harvesting, is a logical first step.

scholarly journals Synthesizing knowledge of the Claybelt to promote sustainable forest management

2002 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
pp. 665-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Lefort ◽  
B Harvey ◽  
J Parton ◽  
G KM Smith
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Engineering Research ◽  
Forestry Practices ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Forest Practices

A review of the scientific literature relevant to the Claybelt region was undertaken under the initiative of Lake Abitibi Model Forest (LAMF) and in collaboration with the Canadian Forest Service, the Ontario and Quebec Ministries of Natural Resources and the NSERC-UQAT-UQAM (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council – Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue – Université du Québec à Montréal) Industrial Chair in Sustainable forest Management. The objective was to synthesize this information in order to develop better forestry practices and identify knowledge and research gaps. Forestry-related knowledge was gathered on six broad topics: i) natural disturbances, ii) forest ecosystems, iii) past and present forest practices, iv) biological diversity, v) forest management and vi) examples of current applications of natural disturbance-based forest management. The work allowed us to synthesize a large body of knowledge into one publication that will be a useful reference for foresters in both provinces. Key words: biodiversity, Claybelt, even-aged/uneven-aged forests, fire, silvicultural practices

scholarly journals Harvest volumes and carbon stocks in boreal forests of Ontario, Canada

2021 ◽  
Vol 97 (02) ◽  
pp. 168-178
Author(s):  
Michael T. Ter-Mikaelian ◽  
Stephen J. Colombo ◽  
Jiaxin Chen
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Ecosystem ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Ecosystem Carbon ◽  
Harvest Volume ◽  
Unmanaged Forest ◽  
Ecosystem Carbon Stocks

We used models to project forest carbon stocks for a series of harvesting scenarios for 29 boreal forest management units totalling 23.3 million ha in Ontario, Canada. Scenarios evaluated for 2020 to 2050 ranged from a no harvesting option to annual harvesting of 2% of the total merchantable volume present in 2020. For each scenario, we estimated the following carbon quantities: (a) forest ecosystem carbon stocks, (b) sum of carbon stocks in forest ecosystem and harvested wood products (HWP) minus emissions associated with HWP production and decomposition, and (c) net greenhouse gas (GHG) effects of harvesting estimated as (b) combined with emissions avoided by substituting HWP for non-wood materials. The average of each carbon quantity for 2020 to 2050 was linearly dependent on the annual harvest volume. The developed relationships were used to estimate harvest volumes for which the three carbon quantities would equal equilibrium forest ecosystem carbon stocks for a pre-suppression natural disturbance cycle. These estimates indicate the range of harvest volumes for which resulting carbon stocks would equal or exceed those in an unmanaged forest. Also discussed are possible criteria for determining annual harvest volume.

scholarly journals Partial harvesting in the Canadian boreal: Success will depend on stand dynamic responses

2007 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
H C Thorpe ◽  
S C Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Dynamic Responses ◽  
Post Harvest ◽  
Partial Harvest ◽  
Partial Harvesting ◽  
Structural Retention

In the past 10 to 15 years, alternative silvicultural treatments involving partial harvesting have been developed for boreal forests, with the goal of achieving a balance between biodiversity maintenance and continued timber production. Most prior research has focussed on the impacts of partial harvesting on biological diversity, while stand dynamic responses remain little studied. In this paper we explore partial stand harvesting in the Canadian boreal—its rationale, current extent, and impact on stand dynamic patterns. Empirical studies from the boreal and elsewhere indicate that residual trees of many species respond to partial harvesting with enhanced growth, commonly showing a lagged response after which peak growth occurs five to 25 years following harvest. Post-harvest mortality is also prevalent but much more variable, with losses of residual trees ranging from nearly zero to more than 50% above background mortality rates in the initial years following harvest. With the exception of strip cutting in parts of northern Ontario and Quebec (HARP/CPPTM), operational partial harvesting in the Canadian boreal currently involves very low levels of retention. Available data suggest that such low retention levels, particularly when spatially dispersed, generally result in unacceptably high rates of post-harvest mortality, which are unlikely to be offset by increases in residual tree growth. There is an urgent need for development of spatially explicit stand simulation models that will allow accurate yield predictions for partial harvest systems to assess their feasibility in boreal forest management. Key words: ecosystem management, natural disturbance emulation, boreal forest, partial cut, structural retention, growth response, windthrow, post-harvest mortality

Using knowledge of natural disturbances to support sustainable forest management in the northern Clay Belt

2007 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yves Bergeron ◽  
Pierre Drapeau ◽  
Sylvie Gauthier ◽  
Nicolas Lecomte
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Landscape Patterns ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Natural Disturbances ◽  
Natural Fire ◽  
Coarse Filter

Several concepts are at the basis of forest ecosystem management, but a relative consensus exists around the idea of a forest management approach that is based on natural disturbances and forest dynamics. This type of approach aims to reproduce the main attributes of natural landscapes in order to maintain ecosystems within their natural range of variability and avoid creating an environment to which species are not adapted. By comparing attributes associated with natural fire regimes and current forest management, we were able to identify four major differences for the black spruce forest of the Clay Belt. The maintenance of older forests, the spatial extent of cutover areas, the maintenance of residuals within cutovers and disturbance severity on soils are major issues that should be addressed. Silvicultural strategies that mitigate differences between natural and managed forests are briefly discussed. Key words: natural disturbance, landscape patterns, coarse filter, harvest pattern, volume retention, historic variability, even-aged management

scholarly journals Wildfires in boreal ecosystems: past, present and some emerging trends

2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin P. Girardin ◽  
Adam A. Ali ◽  
Christelle Hély
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
Fire Activity

With the emergence of a new forest management paradigm based on the emulation of natural disturbance regimes, interest in fire-related studies has increased in the boreal forest management community. A key issue in this regard is the improvement of our understanding of the variability in past disturbances and its linkages with climate and ecosystems. The surge in research activity has further been exacerbated by the increasing awareness of climate change, which has already exposed boreal forests to greater fire risk in recent decades. It is anticipated that further warming and drying will further enhance fire frequency and area burned in many boreal forests. Better predictions of future fire activity will contribute to better long-term forest planning in managed boreal forests. The 12 papers presented in this special issue exemplify this increased research activity by bringing together studies from diverse disciplines and presenting the latest advances regarding methodological approaches for reconstruction and modelling of past, present and future fire activity. Here we aim to summarise, evaluate and set into context some of the new insights arising from these studies and also to discuss some considerations to be taken into account in future research activities.

Historical range of variability in live and dead wood biomass: a regional-scale simulation study

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 2349-2364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Etsuko Nonaka ◽  
Thomas A. Spies ◽  
Michael C. Wimberly ◽  
Janet L. Ohmann
Keyword(s):  
Forest Structure ◽  
Dead Wood ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Wood Biomass ◽  
Historical Range Of Variability ◽  
Coarse Filter ◽  
Historical Range

The historical range of variability (HRV) in landscape structure and composition created by natural disturbance can serve as a general guide for evaluating ecological conditions of managed landscapes. HRV approaches to evaluating landscapes have been based on age-classes or developmental stages, which may obscure variation in live and dead stand structure. Developing the HRV of stand structural characteristics would improve the ecological resolution of this coarse-filter approach to ecosystem assessment. We investigated HRV in live and dead wood biomass in the regional landscape of the Oregon Coast Range by integrating stand-level biomass models and a spatially explicit fire simulation model. We simulated historical landscapes of the region for 1000 years under pre-Euro-American settlement fire regimes and calculated biomass as a function of disturbance history. The simulation showed that live and dead wood biomass historically varied widely in time and space. The majority of the forests historically contained 500–700 Mg·ha–1 (50–70 kg·m–2) of live wood and 50–200 Mg·ha–1 (5–20 kg·m–2) of dead wood. The current distributions are more concentrated in much smaller amounts for both biomass types. Although restoring the HRV of forest structure is not necessarily a management goal for most landowners and managing agencies, departure from the reference condition can provide relative measure to evaluate habitat conditions for managers seeking to use forest structure as a means to maintain or restore ecosystem and species diversity.

scholarly journals Harvest volumes and carbon stocks in boreal forests of Ontario, Canada

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Michael T. Ter-Mikaelian ◽  
Stephen J. Colombo ◽  
Jiaxin Chen
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Ecosystem ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Ecosystem Carbon ◽  
Harvest Volume ◽  
Unmanaged Forest ◽  
Ecosystem Carbon Stocks

We used models to project forest carbon stocks for a series of harvesting scenarios for 29 boreal forest management units totalling 23.3 million ha in Ontario, Canada. Scenarios evaluated for 2020 to 2050 ranged from a no harvesting option to annual harvesting of 2% of the total merchantable volume present in 2020. For each scenario, we estimated the following carbon quantities: (a) forest ecosystem carbon stocks, (b) sum of carbon stocks in forest ecosystem and harvested wood products (HWP) minus emissions associated with HWP production and decomposition, and (c) net greenhouse gas (GHG) effects of harvesting estimated as (b) combined with emissions avoided by substituting HWP for non-wood materials. The average of each carbon quantity for 2020 to 2050 was linearly dependent on the annual harvest volume. The developed relationships were used to estimate harvest volumes for which the three carbon quantities would equal equilibrium forest ecosystem carbon stocks for a pre-suppression natural disturbance cycle. These estimates indicate the range of harvest volumes for which resulting carbon stocks would equal or exceed those in an unmanaged forest. Also discussed are possible criteria for determining annual harvest volume.

scholarly journals Multi-cohort stand structure in boreal forests of northeastern Ontario: Relationships with forest age, disturbance history, and deadwood features

2013 ◽  
Vol 89 (03) ◽  
pp. 290-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Kuttner ◽  
Jay R. Malcolm ◽  
Sandy M. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Natural Origin ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Live Tree

Multi-cohort forest management (MFM) is a natural disturbance emulation strategy for boreal forests that recommends a diversification of silvicultural techniques to emulate three broad successive phases of post-fire development, termed “cohort classes”. Here, for boreal mixedwood (n = 308) and black spruce (n = 108) stands of northeastern Ontario, we: 1) present a multivariate approach to classify the three cohort classes based on a broad set of stand structural variables related to live-tree diameters, densities, and measures of canopy stratification and 2) investigate variation in stand age, mode of stand origin (including horse- and mechanically logged and natural-origin stands), and deadwood features among the cohort classes. In both forest types, average stem diameter distributions in cohort class 1 were normally distributed, those in class 2 showed broader normal distributions, and those in class 3 showed inverse-J distributions. Mean stand age increased with cohort class, and was positively correlated with cohort class in both forest types. Overall, variation in age and deadwood features as a function of cohort class in both forest types provided strong support for developmental aspects of our cohort classifications. Previously logged stands were primarily associated with lower cohort classes, whereas natural-origin stands were strongly associated with complex cohort class 3 stand structures, especially in mixedwoods. As it is primarily the silvicultural manipulation of stand structure that has been proposed to emulate age-related multi-cohort development, our structural cohort classification approach is particularly relevant to the application of MFM in Ontario.

Boreal Biome

Ecology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee E. Frelich
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Trophic Structure ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Boreal Ecosystems ◽  
High Severity ◽  
Ecological Theories ◽  
Effective Conservation

The boreal biome, with vast forests across northern North America, Europe, and Asia, has been of interest since the science of ecology got its start in the late 1800s. Many also refer to the boreal forest as “taiga,” and the two terms are considered interchangeable here. Scientists, conservationists, and forest managers have long realized that the difficulty of traveling in the remote territory of the boreal forest offers the chance to characterize the natural ecological function and design effective conservation strategies prior to large-scale exploitation by humans. There are key insights to be gained into ecological theories related to community structure, trophic structure, disturbance ecology, and landscape ecology. Large-scale intact boreal ecosystems allow studies of trophic interactions including top-level predators, landscape dynamics created by natural disturbance, and comparison of natural and human disturbance. Boreal forests reign supreme as places to study large-scale high-severity fires. Essentially, boreal forests have the room to make it possible to carry out studies that cannot be done in the temperate zones, where so much of the landscape has been converted to human usages. These forests also have a large impact on global ecology through interactions with the climate system, carbon storage, and timber resources. The global importance of the boreal forest in the context of global warming has propelled a rapidly growing investment in research during the last few decades.

scholarly journals Snag abundance 20, 30, and 40 years following fire and harvesting in boreal forests

2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 541-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven H Ferguson ◽  
Philip C Elkie
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Diameter Classes

The retention of standing dead trees (snags) has become an important conservation concern, especially when forest management efforts attempt to emulate natural disturbance. We investigate the abundance of snags within Ontario's boreal forest following 10–20, 21–30, and 31–40 years of both fire and forest harvest disturbance over a 24 000-km2 area. Fire frequency varied considerably, with 90% of the fires in the study area occurring in the 1970s. We did not detect differences in basal area of snags (m2/km2) between burned and harvested stands. However, differences occurred in dead-stem density (number/km2); the burned stands produced more snags in the 21- to 30-year post-disturbance class and the harvested stands produced more snags in the 31- to 40-year post-disturbance class. Similarly, the distribution of diameter classes of snags differed between the burned and harvested stands. In size classes greater than 32 cm (diameter at breast height), we found more snags in the harvested forests 21–40 years following disturbance. We did not find differences in the basal area of snags between disturbance types, whether they were hardwood or softwood. However, hardwood snags occurred in greater abundance in the larger diameter classes. Our findings are limited by the changing timber harvest treatments (selective harvest, clearcut, and ecological cut), the small number of disturbance events, and the variety of stand compositions. More research is required on the ecological factors influencing snag abundance to improve development of local forest management plans and to design landscapes that conserve forest structure and biodiversity. Key words: biodiversity, clearcut, conservation, coarse woody debris, dead trees, forest management, landscape, snags, wildlife

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