Fire severity as a determinant factor of the decomposition rate of fire-killed black spruce in the northern boreal forest

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 370-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Boulanger ◽  
Luc Sirois ◽  
Christian Hébert
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Decomposition Rate ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Decomposition Process ◽  
Vertical Position ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Considerable Impact

Several attributes might influence the decomposition process of fire-killed trees. Here, we tested various tree- and plot-level variables on the decomposition rate of fire-killed black spruce ( Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) in the northern boreal forest. Data were collected from 474 individuals burned 17 years prior to sampling. Mean decomposition rate was relatively slow (k = 0.013) and was lowest for severely burned snags (k = 0.001) and highest for lightly burned logs (k = 0.027–0.036). Vertical position and fire severity were the most important variables influencing the decomposition rates, while plot-level variables were marginally significant. Both predictors strongly influenced the moisture content of fire-killed trees. Logs with greater contact with the ground and lightly burned trees had higher moisture content and faster decomposition rates. Very severely burned trees had lower moisture content because of faster bark shedding. This hampered the decomposition process by slowing the snag falling rate. Higher decomposition rates in lightly burned trees may result from greater colonization by early xylophagous species. By having a considerable impact on the decomposition of woody debris, fire severity may strongly influence many post-fire biological processes related to the woody necromass as well as carbon emission from burned stands.

Postfire dynamics of black spruce coarse woody debris in northern boreal forest of Quebec

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 1770-1780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Boulanger ◽  
Luc Sirois
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Nitrogen Content ◽  
Decomposition Rate ◽  
Coarse Woody Debris ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Asymbiotic Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Study Sites

In this study, postfire coarse woody debris (CWD) dynamics in northern Quebec, Canada, were assessed using a 29-year chronosequence. Postfire woody-debris storage, decomposition rates, and variation of nitrogen and carbon contents of black spruce CWD (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) are estimated. The decomposition rate for postfire snags is exceptionally slow (k = 0.00), while the decomposition rate for logs (k = 0.019–0.021) is within previously recorded values for the boreal forest. The low decomposition rate for snags could be related to low moisture content associated with the position of debris and fast bark shedding. Given the low CWD decomposition rates and CWD storage (21.3–66.8 m3·ha–1), carbon losses from postfire CWD are relatively low, varying between 35.5 and 128.8 kg·ha–1·year–1 at the study sites. The nitrogen content in CWD drops quickly between living trees and snags and increases slightly with time since fire in logs. Nitrogen content is not related to wood density or to moisture content of deadwood. Rapid loss of nitrogen is associated with fast decomposition of subcortical tissues, leaching, and insect comminution. The increase in nitrogen content at the oldest site could result from asymbiotic nitrogen fixation, although a longer time span in the chronosequence would probably have revealed a greater nitrogen gain in increasingly decayed CWD.

Relationships between cellulose decomposition, Jenny's k, forest-floor nitrogen, and soil temperature in Alaskan taiga forests

1983 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 789-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. Fox ◽  
Keith Van Cleve
Keyword(s):  
Decomposition Rate ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Nitrogen Concentration ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Cellulose Decomposition ◽  
Taiga Forest ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Cellulose Filter

Forest-floor decomposition is compared among 16 Alaskan taiga forest stands. These include black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.), white spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss), and birch (Betulapapyrifera Marsh.), aspen {Populustremuloides Michx.), and balsam poplar (Populusbalsamifera L.) types, spanning a wide range in decomposition rates, forest-floor microclimates, and litter quality. Jenny's index of decomposition rate, k, is reasonably well correlated with annual cellulose (filter-paper) decomposition differences among stands. Both estimates of decomposition rate are correlated with forest-floor heat sum and forest-floor nitrogen concentration. These between-site correlations support inferences based upon experimental work claiming that temperature and forest-floor chemical quality have a major influence upon the level of decomposition in a particular stand. Inferences about the factors regulating decomposition rate around an average level within one stand cannot legitimately be made from the same correlations. Moisture has not been considered in this analysis, but could also be important to between-stand differences in decomposition rate.

scholarly journals Early Regeneration Dynamics of Pure Black Spruce and Aspen Forests after Wildfire in Boreal Alberta, Canada

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Jean ◽  
Bradley D. Pinno ◽  
Scott E. Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Regeneration Dynamics ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
Successional Trajectory ◽  
Increasing Risk ◽  
Root Suckering ◽  
Early Regeneration

Research Highlights: Black spruce (Picea mariana Mill.) and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) both regenerated vigorously after wildfire. However, pure semi-upland black spruce stands are at increasing risk of changing successional trajectories, due to greater aspen recruitment. Background and Objectives: Black spruce and aspen are found across the boreal forest with black spruce dominating lowlands and aspen being common in uplands. Both species are well adapted to wildfire with black spruce holding an aerial seedbank while aspen reproduce rapidly via root suckering. In the summer of 2016, the Horse River wildfire burned 589,617 hectares of northern Alberta’s boreal forest. Methods: We assessed early regeneration dynamics of both pure aspen and pure black spruce forests. For black spruce, 12 plots were established in both bog and semi-upland habitats to assess seedling regeneration and seedbed availability. For aspen, 12 plots were established in each of the low, moderate, and high burn severities, as well as 5 unburned plots. Results: Post-fire black spruce regeneration densities did not differ between bog and semi-upland habitats, but were positively correlated with forb cover and charred organic matter seedbeds. Aspen regeneration within pure black sprue stands was substantial, particularly in semi-upland habitats, indicating a potential shift in successional trajectory. Fire severity did not significantly affect aspen regeneration in pure aspen stands, but regeneration density in all severity types was >90,000 stems ha−1. Aspen regeneration densities were negatively related to post-fire forb and shrub cover, likely due to competition and cooler soil temperature.

Modeling fire severity in black spruce stands in the Alaskan boreal forest using spectral and non-spectral geospatial data

2010 ◽  
Vol 114 (7) ◽  
pp. 1494-1503 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Barrett ◽  
E.S. Kasischke ◽  
A.D. McGuire ◽  
M.R. Turetsky ◽  
E.S. Kane
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Geospatial Data ◽  
Spruce Stands

Vertical distribution of three longhorned beetle species (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in burned trees of the boreal forest

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 564-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yannick Cadorette-Breton ◽  
Christian Hébert ◽  
Jacques Ibarzabal ◽  
Richard Berthiaume ◽  
Éric Bauce
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Distribution ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Larval Density ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Beetle Species ◽  
Longhorned Beetle ◽  
Ecological Value ◽  
Salvage Logging

This study aimed to characterize the vertical distribution of longhorned beetle larvae in burned trees of the eastern Canadian boreal forest. Black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb.) and jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) trees burned at three severity levels were cut, and 30 cm boles were collected from the ground up to a height of 9.45 m. Boles were debarked and dissected to collect insect larvae. Results show that the three most abundant longhorned beetle species were vertically segregated among burned jack pine and black spruce trees, but the section having the highest timber value was heavily infested by woodborer larvae. Larval density distribution of Monochamus scutellatus scutellatus (Say) and of Acmaeops proteus proteus (Kirby) could be linked with bark thickness, which also depends on fire severity. Lightly burned stands of black spruce were the most heavily infested and should be salvaged only if they are easily accessible and can thus be rapidly harvested and processed at the mill. More severely burned stands should be salvaged later as they will be less affected by woodborers, as should jack pine, which is lightly infested compared with black spruce. The ecological role of stumps should be further investigated because they could still have an ecological value after salvage logging as Arhopalus foveicollis (Haldeman) uses them specifically.

scholarly journals Wet Heartwood Distribution in the Stem, Stump, and Root Wood of Black Spruce in the Quebec Boreal Forest, Canada

2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelia Krause ◽  
Réjean Gagnon
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Stem Height ◽  
High Moisture ◽  
Stem Base ◽  
Maximum Value ◽  
Crown Shape ◽  
Field Measure

Abstract Wet heartwood has been studied since the beginning of the 20th century. The present work focused on wet heartwood of 44 black spruces (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) from boreal forest swampy sites Quebec, Canada. Trees were studied to characterize their tree crown shape, quickly identify them in the field, measure their moisture content, establish their moisture content distribution pattern, evaluate the wet heartwood volume inside their stem, and find the possibility of water entrance in this species. Black spruces with wet heartwood were characterized by a typical tree shape with a small number of living branches, short branches, and a clump of green needles at the top of the tree. The wet heartwood was characterized by high moisture content at the stem base and decreased with stem height. Wet heartwood was observed as high as 5 m above stem base for trees around 10.5 m in height. Moisture content of sapwood along the stem varied from 81 to 161%, whereas in dry heartwood, it was around 43% but reached more than 100% in the wet heartwood. Wet heartwood volume in the first 3.25 m of black spruce stems averaged 13% with variations between 2 and 35% per study site. Twelve stumps had wet heartwood moisture contents reaching 143% or higher. Moisture content of wet heartwood in root sections closest to the stump varied along a gradient: lower or absent at ground level and increasing with depth up to a maximum value before decreasing again. North. J. Appl. For. 22(1):12–18.

scholarly journals Effects of Soil Abiotic and Biotic Factors on Tree Seedling Regeneration Following a Boreal Forest Wildfire

Ecosystems ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa S. Ibáñez ◽  
David A. Wardle ◽  
Michael J. Gundale ◽  
Marie-Charlotte Nilsson
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Betula Pendula ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
Soil Biota ◽  
Fire Disturbance ◽  
Burn Severity ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Tree Seedling ◽  
Seedling Regeneration

AbstractWildfire disturbance is important for tree regeneration in boreal ecosystems. A considerable amount of literature has been published on how wildfires affect boreal forest regeneration. However, we lack understanding about how soil-mediated effects of fire disturbance on seedlings occur via soil abiotic properties versus soil biota. We collected soil from stands with three different severities of burning (high, low and unburned) and conducted two greenhouse experiments to explore how seedlings of tree species (Betula pendula, Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies) performed in live soils and in sterilized soil inoculated by live soil from each of the three burning severities. Seedlings grown in live soil grew best in unburned soil. When sterilized soils were reinoculated with live soil, seedlings of P. abies and P. sylvestris grew better in soil from low burn severity stands than soil from either high severity or unburned stands, demonstrating that fire disturbance may favor post-fire regeneration of conifers in part due to the presence of soil biota that persists when fire severity is low or recovers quickly post-fire. Betula pendula did not respond to soil biota and was instead driven by changes in abiotic soil properties following fire. Our study provides strong evidence that high fire severity creates soil conditions that are adverse for seedling regeneration, but that low burn severity promotes soil biota that stimulates growth and potential regeneration of conifers. It also shows that species-specific responses to abiotic and biotic soil characteristics are altered by variation in fire severity. This has important implications for tree regeneration because it points to the role of plant–soil–microbial feedbacks in promoting successful establishment, and potentially successional trajectories and species dominance in boreal forests in the future as fire regimes become increasingly severe through climate change.

scholarly journals Assessment of Leaf Litter Decomposition in a Pine and Beech Mixed Forest: Case Study in Northern Spain

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
David Candel-Pérez ◽  
J. Bosco Imbert ◽  
Maitane Unzu ◽  
Juan A. Blanco
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Decomposition Process ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Natural State ◽  
Nutrient Cycles ◽  
Decomposition Rates

The promotion of mixed forests represents an adaptation strategy in forest management to cope with climate change. The mixing of tree species with complementary ecological traits may modify forest functioning regarding productivity, stability, or resilience against disturbances. Litter decomposition is an important process for global carbon and nutrient cycles in terrestrial ecosystems, also affecting the functionality and sustainability of forests. Decomposition of mixed-leaf litters has become an active research area because it mimics the natural state of leaf litters in most forests. Thus, it is important to understand the factors controlling decomposition rates and nutrient cycles in mixed stands. In this study, we conducted a litter decomposition experiment in a Scots pine and European beech mixed forest in the province of Navarre (north of Spain). The effects of forest management (i.e., different thinning intensities), leaf litter types, and tree canopy on mass loss and chemical composition in such decomposing litter were analysed over a period of three years. Higher decomposition rates were observed in leaf litter mixtures, suggesting the existence of positive synergies between both pine and beech litter types. Moreover, a decomposition process was favoured under mixed-tree canopy patches. Regarding thinning treatments significant differences on decomposition rates disappeared at the end of the study period. Time influenced the nutrient concentration after the leaf litter incubation, with significant differences in the chemical composition between the different types of leaf litter. Higher Ca and Mg concentrations were found in beech litter types than in pine ones. An increase in certain nutrients throughout the decomposition process was observed due to immobilization by microorganisms (e.g., Mg in all leaf litter types, K only in beech leaves, P in thinned plots and under mixed canopy). Evaluating the overall response in mixed-leaf litters and the contribution of single species is necessary for understanding the litter decomposition and nutrient processes in mixed-forest ecosystems.

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