Amount of downed woody debris and its prediction using stand characteristics in boreal and mixedwood forests of Ontario, Canada

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 2189-2197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. Ter-Mikaelian ◽  
Stephen J. Colombo ◽  
Jiaxin Chen
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Constant Factor ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
White Birch ◽  
Permanent Sample Plots ◽  
Mixedwood Forests ◽  
Downed Woody Debris

We analyzed data on downed woody debris (DWD) from 435 permanent sample plots in boreal and mixedwood forests of Ontario seeking empirical relationships to predict DWD quantity from stand attributes. In each permanent sample plot, data were collected along three transects, including diameter, tree species, and degree of decomposition of DWD pieces with diameter greater than or equal to 7.5 cm at the point of intersection with the transect. Amounts of DWD in sample plots ranged from 0.7 to 402.7 m3·ha–1 and from 0.1 to 103.4 t·ha–1. Mean DWD values were 65.4 m3·ha–1 and 15.9 t·ha–1 in softwood- and 61.9 m3·ha–1 and 16.5 t·ha–1 in hardwood-dominated plots. Our analysis revealed no relationship between DWD and stand age, site index, or stocking for plots dominated by black spruce ( Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP), eastern white pine ( Pinus strobus L.), sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.), and red oak ( Quercus rubra L.) and weak relationships for plots dominated by jack pine ( Pinus banksiana Lamb.), red pine ( Pinus resinosa Ait.), trembling aspen ( Populus tremuloides Michx.), and white birch ( Betula papyrifera Marsh.). We submit that DWD in Ontario’s forests should be treated as a constant factor until the relationship between the amount of DWD and present stand condition is better understood and discuss considerations for future studies on DWD.

Ice storm damage to eastern Ontario forests: 1998–2001

2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Hopkin ◽  
Tim Williams ◽  
Robert Sajan ◽  
John Pedlar ◽  
Cathy Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Ice Storm ◽  
Storm Damage ◽  
White Birch ◽  
Eastern Ontario

Following the 1998 ice storm, tree mortality and crown damage were monitored on permanent plots across eastern Ontario from 1998 until 2001. Conifer species were less damaged than hardwoods. Hardwood tree species showing the greatest crown damage included aspen, (Populus tremuloides), basswood (Tilia americana), and white birch (Betula papyrifera); major species showing the least damage included sugar maple (Acer saccharum), red oak (Quercus rubra) and hickory (Carya spp.). Generally, smaller diameter trees showed less damage than larger diameter trees. Significant mortality was recorded to silver maple (Acer saccharinum), basswood, ash (Fraxinus spp.) and aspen in 1998, although mortality in 2000 and 2001 was about 1–2%. Trees sustaining > 75% crown damage usually died by 2001. Key words: ice storm, ice damage, forest health

Classifying forestland from model-generated tree species habitat suitability in the Western Ecoregion of Nova Scotia, Canada

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 517-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Baah-Acheamfour ◽  
Charles P.-A. Bourque ◽  
Fan-Rui Meng ◽  
D. Edwin Swift
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Forest Succession ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
White Birch ◽  
Permanent Sample Plots ◽  
Natural Range ◽  
Hybrid Classification

Forestland classification is central to the sustainable management of forests. In this paper, we explore the possibility of classifying forestland from species–habitat–suitability indices and a hybrid classification of modeled data. Raster-based calculations of species–habitat–suitability were derived as a function of landscape-level descriptions of incident photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), soil water content (SWC), and growing degree-days (GDD) for southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. PAR and SWC were both generated with the LanDSET model and GDD from thermal data captured with the space-borne MODIS sensor. We compared the distribution of predicted forestland types with the natural range of target species as found in the provincial permanent sample plots (PSPs). Reasonable agreement (≥50% accuracy) existed between some forestland types (e.g., red maple – white birch – red oak and balsam fir – red maple) and PSP-based assessments of species presence–absence. Agreement was noticeably lower for other forestland types, such as sugar maple – beech – yellow birch (<50% accuracy). This discrepancy is attributed to forest-forming factors not directly addressed by the model, e.g., forest succession, stand interventions, and disturbance. Their addition in the model could change the dynamics of tree-species preference in southwest Nova Scotia and is worth examining. True model inaccuracies accounted for about 0.3%–15.0% of the total reported error.

Boreal mixedwood tree growth on contrasting soils and disturbance types

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 986-995 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L Martin ◽  
Stith T Gower
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Soil Types ◽  
Radial Increment ◽  
Mixedwood Forests ◽  
Increment Growth

Mixedwood forests are an ecologically and economically important ecosystem in the boreal forest of northern Canada. The objectives of this study were to (i) compare the age–height relationships for dominant tree species growing on two contrasting soil types and originating from different disturbances (logging versus wildfire), and (ii) determine the influence of competition on tree growth. Eight stands were selected that encompassed two age-classes replicated on two soil types (clay loam and sand) in a split-plot design. Four of the eight stands originated from logging (21–26 years old), and <F"Times">the four others originated from wildfires (80 years old). Nonlinear age–height analyses were used to compare annual height and radial increment growth of black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP), jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.). Species, soil type, and size class explained significant amounts of the measured variation in the age–height models. Aspen, black spruce, and jack pine were 16%, 27%, and 19% taller, respectively, on clay soils than on sandy soils at the burned stand. Tree heights did not differ significantly among species or between soil types in logged stands. Diameter growth decreased as competition increased for black spruce and jack pine in the burned stands. The results for these three important boreal tree species are discussed in the context of sustainable forestry for boreal mixedwood forests.

Aboveground and belowground biomass and sapwood area allometric equations for six boreal tree species of northern Manitoba

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 1441-1450 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Bond-Lamberty ◽  
C Wang ◽  
S T Gower
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Stem Diameter ◽  
Allometric Equations ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Sapwood Area ◽  
Coarse Root ◽  
Biomass Equations

Allometric equations were developed relating aboveground biomass, coarse root biomass, and sapwood area to stem diameter at 17 study sites located in the boreal forests near Thompson, Man. The six species studied were trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.), black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP), jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), tamarack (Larix laricina (Du Roi) Koch.), and willow (Salix spp.). Stands ranged in age from 4 to 130 years and were categorized as well or poorly drained. Stem diameter ranged from 0.1 to 23.7 cm. Stem diameter was measured at both the soil surface (D0) and breast height (DBH). The relationship between biomass and diameter, fitted on a log–log scale, changed significantly at ~3 cm DBH, suggesting that allometry differed between saplings and older trees. To eliminate this nonlinearity, a model of form log10 Y = a + b(log10 D) + c(AGE) + d(log10 D × AGE) was used, where D is stem diameter, AGE is stand age, and the cross product is the interaction between diameter and age. Most aboveground biomass equations (N = 326) exhibited excellent fits (R2 > 0.95). Coarse root biomass equations (N = 205) exhibited good fits (R2 > 0.90). Both D0 and DBH were excellent (R2 > 0.95) sapwood area predictors (N = 413). Faster growing species had significantly higher ratios of sapwood area to stem area than did slower growing species. Nonlinear aspects of some of the pooled biomass equations serve as a caution against extrapolating allometric equations beyond the original sample diameter range.

Adapting forestry practices to address old-growth concerns in the Great Lakes–St.Lawrence forests of Ontario

2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 613-620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Pinto
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Red Pine ◽  
Forest Composition ◽  
White Birch ◽  
Site Factors ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Old Growth Forests

The Great Lakes–St. Lawrence forest, particularly the eastern white (Pinus strobus L.) and red pine (P. resinosa Ait.) forests around Temagami and Sault Ste. Marie, was the centre of controversy regarding the treatment of old-growth forests in Ontario in the 1980s and 1990s. The controversy stemmed from changes in forest composition and structure occurring in the forest. For example, the Ontario public was concerned with the obvious reduction in numbers of large eastern white and red pine trees and their replacement with small, often poor quality, white birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.), aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), and jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) trees. Over the past two decades, changes in legislation, forest planning and stand prescriptions have been made in Ontario and practices at the forest and stand levels have also changed significantly. The new practices are based on linking forest activities to a better understanding of ecological processes in the forest; in particular, linking harvest and regeneration activities to our current understanding of natural disturbances and plant adaptations. These practices attempt to match more closely the conditions found in forests with a heritage of natural disturbance and reproduction, i.e., old-growth forests. For example, stand-initiating disturbances result in some trees being killed, some being damaged, and some surviving. The new harvest practices consider tree adaptations and site factors when deciding whether a tree will be cut or not. This paper provides examples of how this ecosystem-based forestry is being applied in Ontario. Key words: old growth in Ontario, conservation of old growth, application of old growth conservation practices, stand practices for old growth, landscape practices for old growth

Ageing and decline of trembling aspen stands in Quebec

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 1251-1258 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Pothier ◽  
Frédéric Raulier ◽  
Martin Riopel
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Wood Decay ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Trembling Aspen ◽  
Site Factors ◽  
Annual Increment ◽  
Permanent Sample Plots ◽  
Development Characteristic ◽  
Data Source

The onset of stand decline is a critical stand development characteristic that can affect both harvesting schedule and annual allowable cutting volume. The age at which stand decline begins was assessed in trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) stands in the province of Quebec, Canada, by three different methods. The first used a data source consisting of 1081 temporary sample plots from which a segmented regression model was fitted to detect any deviation from the self-thinning line. This type of deviation was observed below densities of 720 stems/ha, which is normally attained around age 60 on good-quality sites. The second used a data source composed of 34 permanent sample plots that allowed us to calculate the age at which the periodic annual increment was equal to zero. The estimated age at which stands began to decline averaged 64 years, but the large variation around this mean was poorly explained by site factors. The third method used a data source consisting of 98 inventory plots. Volume of tree mortality and of wood decay showed an important increase when stand age was around 60. Hence, the results from three independent sources of data converge toward a generalized loss of aspen volume around age 60. However, the prediction of the age at which decline begins in any particular aspen stand is imprecise and requires an on-site measurement of the stand state.

Tree bole mineralization rates of four species of the Canadian eastern boreal forest: implications for nutrient dynamics following stand-replacing disturbances

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 2331-2340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Brais ◽  
David Paré ◽  
Cédric Lierman
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Trembling Aspen ◽  
Tree Biomass ◽  
White Birch ◽  
Nutrient Immobilization

To assess nutrient dynamics in decomposing logs of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), white birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.), white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss), and jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), we monitored mass losses and changes in N and P contents in dead boles from a chronosequence of sites following stand-replacing disturbances. To assess the importance of wood decomposition to nutrient cycling, we compared net estimates of nutrient release from logs with net nutrient immobilization in live-tree biomass of stands as a function of time since disturbance. Mineralization rates were 0.060, 0.053, 0.038, and 0.020·year–1 for trembling aspen, white birch, white spruce, and jack pine logs, respectively. Trembling aspen boles released large quantities of N and P during the first year of decomposition (51 kg·ha–1 of N and 7 kg·ha–1 of P, assuming a bole volume of 150 m3·ha–1). White birch boles acted initially as a nutrient sink and delayed the release of immobilized nutrients until a period when the stand's net nutrient immobilization rates were highest. Jack pine boles appeared to be intermediate in terms of their contribution as a sink or a source of nutrients but, in mature stands, provided up to 40% of N and 26% of P immobilized annually in tree biomass. As pure stands of white spruce are rare in boreal Quebec, information on nutrient accumulation in white spruce stands was not available.

Estimation of the S/G ratios of the lignins in three widely used North American hardwoods

TAPPI Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 449-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANIEL NICHOLSON ◽  
CANDACE GUILFORD ◽  
ADEBUKOLA ABIOLA ◽  
SAMAR BOSE ◽  
RAYMOND FRANCIS
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
North American ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Paper Industry ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
White Birch ◽  
Governing Parameter ◽  
The North ◽  
G Ratio

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum), aspen (Populus tremuloides), and white birch (Betula papyrifera) are three hardwoods that are widely used by the North American pulp and paper industry. Because of their abundance, these species are also likely to be used by some of the biorefinery processes that are being developed. A significant amount of evidence indicates that the syringyl to guaiacyl (S/G) ratio of the lignin in a hardwood is a governing parameter regarding its ease of delignification. Credible data also show that among poplars the S/G ratio of the lignin significantly influences the ease of saccharification of the carbohydrate polymers to sugar monomers. Although the S/G ratio appears to be a key parameter for hardwoods, values accepted by most practitioners are not available for the three species. In this investigation, those ratios were estimated by an extensive literature review followed by S/G determination by nitrobenzene oxidation (NBO) and methoxyl analyses of organosolv lignin (OSL) from the ethanol/ water/sulfuric acid pulping process. The S/G values were approximately 1.4 for sugar maple, and 2.0 for aspen and white birch. Data are also included showing that sugar maple and white birch were equally reactive in kraft pulping. Thus, it is unclear whether or not the S/G ratio is indeed a governing parameter in this delignification process.

Contributions of harvest slash to maintaining downed woody debris in selection-managed forests

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
pp. 1680-1685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark C. Vanderwel ◽  
Hilary C. Thorpe ◽  
John P. Caspersen
Keyword(s):  
Size Distribution ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Managed Forests ◽  
Projection Model ◽  
Permanent Sample Plots ◽  
Decay Class ◽  
Class 1 ◽  
Selection Harvesting ◽  
Downed Woody Debris

Harvest slash can represent a major source of downed woody debris (DWD) in selection-managed forests. In this study, we analyze the volume, cover, size distribution, and decay-class distribution of DWD input by selection harvesting in central Ontario, Canada. Selection harvesting input 23.9 m3 DWD·ha–1 (0.013 m2 DWD·m–2), with cut basal area explaining 46% and 30% of the respective within-stand variation in cover and volume, respectively. The size distribution of the slash was similar to that of DWD in permanent sample plots (including old-growth stands and stands that have not been recently harvested), countering a common assumption that harvesting inputs only small-sized material. Harvest-origin DWD was bimodally distributed across decay classes, with the first peak (decay class 1) associated with fresh harvest slash and a second smaller peak (decay class 3) likely representing dead trees and branches that were felled or broken during harvest operations. A matrix projection model showed that slash can maintain DWD levels in managed, uneven-aged stands comparable with those in unmanaged stands, but the mean decay class increases steadily over a 20-year period after harvest. Our results underline the importance of harvest inputs for maintaining DWD pools in selection-managed forests and provide baseline information against which to compare forests managed with higher utilization standards.

Un diagramme pollinique au Mont des Éboulements, région de Charlevoix, Québec

1976 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Richard ◽  
Philippe Poulin
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
White Birch ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Pollen Diagram ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Pollen Influx ◽  
Dwarf Birch

The history of vegetation has been registered in the sediments of lake Mimi since about 11 000 BP, The initial vegetation traced is a tundra which, under severe climatic conditions, lasted for about 1000 years. The herb tundra was progressively replaced by shrub tundra: a willow phase (Salix). followed by a dwarf birch phase (Betula cf. glandulosa) have been traced. These were followed by an afforestation phase characterized by an aspen community (Populus tremuloides) al about 10 000 BP. Spruce succeeded the aspen community, probably as an open black spruce (Picea mariana) community with some dwarf birch and green alder (Alnus crispa). An outstanding Alnus cf. crispa pollen peak (48%), supported by the annual pollen influx values, at the end of the spruce phase, could be interpreted as a return of colder climate that favored the expansion of this shrub over forest. This event would date about 9750 BP. An open fir (Abies balsamea) forest followed, and changed to the balsam fir – white birch (Betula papyrifera) forest (climax domain), which prevailed until now. The richer sites supported sugar maple (Acer saccharum) – yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) community and fir – yellow birch stands since 6200 BP. Six radiocarbon dates and annual pollen influx values are offered, and some ecological problems related to the interpretation of the pollen diagram are discussed.

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