Comparative responses of small mammals, vegetation, and food sources to natural regeneration and conifer release treatments in boreal balsam fir stands of Quebec

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1128-1140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Gagné ◽  
Louis Bélanger ◽  
Jean Huot
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Rubus Idaeus ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Advance Regeneration

Abundance and species diversity of small mammals were compared among three regeneration methods used in boreal balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) forests. Those methods were natural regeneration after "careful logging" to retain advance regeneration and planting (black spruce, Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) followed by herbicide (Vision®) release or brushsaw cutting release. Deciduous vegetation was reduced for two growing seasons in both plantation types after treatment, and foliar arthropods decreased for one growing season. In herbicide-treated plantations, red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) shrub cover, near-ground vegetation, and production of berries were reduced for two growing seasons. After herbicide release, the abundance of the red-backed vole (Clethrionomys gapperi (Vigors)) was significantly lowered for two growing seasons. This negative effect was associated with reduced cover during the first two post-treatment growing seasons. In the short term, herbicide-treated plantations constitute poorer red-backed vole habitats than brushsaw plantations. In early successional boreal balsam fir stands, planting did not markedly affect small mammals probably because natural regeneration was common in these plantations.

Survival and growth of eastern larch, balsam fir, and black spruce six years after winter browning in northeastern Ontario, Canada

2013 ◽  
Vol 89 (06) ◽  
pp. 777-782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rongzhou Man ◽  
Gordon J. Kayahara ◽  
Stephen Foley ◽  
Cory Wiseman
Keyword(s):  
Cold Hardiness ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Larix Laricina ◽  
Stem Analysis ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Survival And Growth ◽  
Needle Loss

In spring 2007, young conifers suffered extensive needle and bud injury near Hearst, Kapuskasing, and Cochrane in northeastern Ontario, Canada. Analysis of weather data revealed that the damage was likely caused by earlier than normal loss of cold hardiness during higher than normal temperatures in late April and early May. The dehardened trees were damaged in the cold days that followed. We report the survival and growth of eastern larch (Larix laricina), balsam fir (Abies balsamea), and black spruce (Picea mariana) in the affected area based on field assessments and stem analysis of affected trees following the event. Total survival through six growing seasons following damage was 98% in eastern larch but only about 70% in balsam fir and black spruce. The effect of the damage on tree growth was greater and longer lasting for diameter than height. Both survival and growth reductions were associated with high levels of mature needle loss and bud damage. Implications of these findings for forest management are discussed in light of expected climate change.

scholarly journals Mixed Regional Shifts in Conifer Productivity under 21st-Century Climate Projections in Canada’s Northeastern Boreal Forest

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 248
Author(s):  
Tyler Searls ◽  
James Steenberg ◽  
Xinbiao Zhu ◽  
Charles P.-A. Bourque ◽  
Fan-Rui Meng
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Model Validation ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Climate Projections

Models of forest growth and yield (G&Y) are a key component in long-term strategic forest management plans. Models leveraging the industry-standard “empirical” approach to G&Y are frequently underpinned by an assumption of historical consistency in climatic growing conditions. This assumption is problematic as forest managers look to obtain reliable growth predictions under the changing climate of the 21st century. Consequently, there is a pressing need for G&Y modelling approaches that can be more robustly applied under the influence of climate change. In this study we utilized an established forest gap model (JABOWA-3) to simulate G&Y between 2020 and 2100 under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5 in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). Simulations were completed using the province’s permanent sample plot data and surface-fitted climatic datasets. Through model validation, we found simulated basal area (BA) aligned with observed BA for the major conifer species components of NL’s forests, including black spruce [Picea mariana (Mill.) Britton et al.] and balsam fir [Abies balsamea (L.) Mill]. Model validation was not as robust for the less abundant species components of NL (e.g., Acer rubrum L. 1753, Populus tremuloides Michx., and Picea glauca (Moench) Voss). Our simulations generally indicate that projected climatic changes may modestly increase black spruce and balsam fir productivity in the more northerly growing environments within NL. In contrast, we found productivity of these same species to only be maintained, and in some instances even decline, toward NL’s southerly extents. These generalizations are moderated by species, RCP, and geographic parameters. Growth modifiers were also prepared to render empirical G&Y projections more robust for use under periods of climate change.

Short-term effects of cut-to-length versus full-tree harvesting on conifer regeneration in jack pine, mixedwood, and black spruce forests in Manitoba

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 1938-1945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isobel Waters ◽  
Steven W Kembel ◽  
Jean-François Gingras ◽  
Jennifer M Shay
Keyword(s):  
Picea Mariana ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
Understorey Vegetation ◽  
Advance Regeneration ◽  
The Impact

This study compares the effects of full-tree versus cut-to-length forest harvesting methods on tree regeneration in jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), mixedwood (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss – Populus tremuloides Michx. – Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), and black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) sites in southeastern Manitoba, Canada. We surveyed tree regeneration densities, disturbance characteristics, and understorey vegetation in replicated control and harvested plots in each site type preharvest (1993) and 1 and 3 years postharvest (1994, 1996). In jack pine sites, the full-tree harvest method promoted regeneration of Pinus banksiana through increased disturbance of soil and the moss layer, and decreased slash deposition relative to the cut-to-length method. Conversely, in mixedwood sites the cut-to-length method resulted in less damage to advance regeneration and proved better at promoting postharvest regeneration of Abies balsamea and Picea glauca relative to the full-tree method. In black spruce sites, there were few differences in the impact of the two harvesting methods on regeneration of Picea mariana, which increased in frequency and density after both types of harvesting.

Black spruce decline triggered by spruce budworm at the southern limit of lichen woodland in eastern Canada

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (12) ◽  
pp. 2160-2172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Simard ◽  
Serge Payette
Keyword(s):  
Black Spruce ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Southern Limit ◽  
Epiphytic Lichen ◽  
Spruce Decline

Black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) is the dominant tree species of the southernmost (48°N) lichen woodlands in eastern Canada. Most spruce trees in mature lichen woodlands appear to be declining, as shown by the massive invasion of the epiphytic lichen Bryoria on dead branches of dying trees. A dendroecological study was undertaken to identify the main causal factors of the decline. A decline index based on the abundance of Bryoria on spruce trees was used to distinguish healthy from damaged lichen–spruce woodlands and to select sampling sites for tree-ring measurements. Three conifer species (black spruce, balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), and jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.)) were sampled to compare their growth patterns in time and space. In the late 1970s and mid-1980s, black spruce and balsam fir experienced sharp and synchronous radial-growth reductions, a high frequency of incomplete and missing rings, and mass mortality likely caused by spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.)) defoliation. Jack pine, a non-host species, showed no such trend. Because black spruce layers were spared, lichen woodlands will eventually regenerate unless fire occurs in the following years. Black spruce decline can thus be considered as a normal stage in the natural dynamics of the southern lichen woodlands.

Growth intercept models for black spruce, jack pine and balsam fir in Quebec

2005 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Mailly ◽  
Mélanie Gaudreault
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Site Index ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Interim Testing ◽  
Growth Intercept ◽  
Mean Square Errors

The objective of this study was to develop variable growth intercept models for coniferous species of major importance in Quebec using Nigh's (1997a) modelling technique. Eighty-three, 68, and 70 stem analysis plots of black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] BSP), jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill) were used, respectively. The growth intercept models for black spruce were the most precise, followed by those for jack pine and finally by those for balsam fir, based on the root mean square errors. Results indicated that the accuracy of the models was good, relative to those previously published for other species in Canada. Interim testing of the models revealed a low mean error for all three species that may not be of practical significance for site index determination, although more data should be obtained to further test the models. Key words: balsam fir, black spruce, growth intercept, jack pine, model, nonlinear regression, site index

Demography and spatial dynamics in balsam fir stands after a spruce budworm outbreak

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 1112-1120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Rossi ◽  
Hubert Morin
Keyword(s):  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Random Pattern ◽  
Advance Regeneration ◽  
Competition For Resources

The renewal of balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) P. Mill.) stands is related to the recurrent spruce budworm (Archips fumiferana Clemens [syn.: Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens)]) outbreaks that favour the growth of the regeneration following death of the dominant trees. The aim of this study was to investigate the population demography and the spatial relationships among individuals in four permanent plots of the boreal forest of Quebec, Canada, after a spruce budworm outbreak. This was realized by collecting data on trees and saplings every five years from 1994 to 2004 and by using Ripley’s K statistics. The younger plots showed recruitment of up to 90 new trees·ha–1·year–1, and mortality following competition among individuals affected up to 27% and 50% of the trees and saplings, respectively. In the plot with the lowest tree density, sapling recruitment was estimated as 378 new individuals·ha–1·year–1. Saplings were aggregated at all spatial scales, whereas trees showed a random pattern of stem distribution. A significant tendency to separation between saplings and trees was observed. The specific stand dynamics observed in balsam fir are connected to an abundant advance regeneration and an age-dependent competition for resources in a heterogeneous environment with different levels of resource availability.

scholarly journals Coefficients de distribution de la régénération, cinq ans après des coupes avec protection des petites tiges marchandes appliquées dans des sapinières et des pessières noires du Québec

2011 ◽  
Vol 87 (05) ◽  
pp. 669-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Riopel ◽  
Jean Bégin ◽  
Jean-Claude Ruel
Keyword(s):  
Black Spruce ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Deciduous Species ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Coniferous Species ◽  
Breast Height ◽  
Silvicultural Treatments ◽  
Heavy Equipment

For certain mature forests dominated by balsam fir (Abies balsamea [L.] Mill.) or black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] BSP), it may be preferable to harvest trees with diameter at breast height greater than 15 cm while conserving smaller ones. This treatment, called harvesting with protection of small merchantable trees, produces strips, where partial cutting is applied, alternating with corridors, which are disturbed by heavy equipment during harvesting. This project studied stocking levels five years after treatment on 4896 sub-plots of 4 m2 in 22 blocks. Stocking coefficients (SC) for coniferous and deciduous species were modeled in order to identify variables affecting stocking. The strips had well-distributed coniferous regeneration, while SC in the corridors were more variable and lower, occasionally less than 60%. Black spruce-dominated sites were not as well stocked as balsam fir-dominated sites. Stocking levels of protected coniferous merchantable trees positively influence coniferous and deciduous SC in the corridors. The presence of coniferous species is also affected by harvest season and total annual rainfall. Alternative silvicultural treatments applicable in certain corridors are presented.

scholarly journals Gap dynamics in Balsam Fir, Abies balsamea - Yellow Birch, Betula alleghaniensis, forests of Québec

2009 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rémi Hébert ◽  
Jean Huot
Keyword(s):  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Regeneration Process ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Gap Dynamics ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Gap Characteristics

To determine if gap dynamics can play an important role in the natural regeneration process of Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea)-Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis) forests and to determine the effects of gap characteristics on regenerating woody species, we sampled 119 gaps from 64 forest stands in La Mauricie National Park. Gaps averaged 184.5 m² in size. The mean gap age was 7.8 years. Gaps were usually created by broken or uprooted trees and only rarely resulted from Spruce Budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) outbreaks. We found 25 species that regenerated in the gaps or under the forest cover. When considering all species, significantly more stems/ha were in gaps than under the forest cover. Gap characteristics generally did not influence regenerating woody species. We present a comprehensive model of gap dynamics in Balsam Fir-Yellow Birch forests, starting from a dense canopy, continuing with the creation and colonization of gaps, and ending to the closure of the canopy. Gap dynamics play an important role in the natural regeneration process of Balsam Fir-Yellow Birch forests.Afin de déterminer si la dynamique par trouée peut jouer un rôle important comme processus naturel de régénération de la sapinière à Bouleau Jaune et aussi afin de déterminer les effets des caractéristiques des trouées sur la régénération, nous avons échantillonné 119 trouées dans 64 peuplements forestiers au parc national de la Mauricie. Ces ouvertures avaient une superficie moyenne de 184,5 m². L’âge moyen des ouvertures était de 7,8 ans. Elles étaient généralement créées par un arbre cassé ou déraciné. Peu d’ouvertures étaient créées par des épidémies de la Tordeuse des Bourgeons de l’Épinette. Au total, 25 espèces en régénération ont été rencontrées dans les ouvertures ou sous le couvert forestier. En considérant toutes les espèces, il y avait significativement plus de tiges/ha dans les ouvertures que sous le couvert forestier. Les caractéristiques des trouées n’influençaient généralement pas la régénération. Nous présentons un modèle complet sur la dynamique par trouée dans la sapinière à Bouleau jaune, commençant avec une canopée dense, continuant avec la création et la colonisation des trouées, et se terminant avec la fermeture de la canopée. La dynamique par trouée joue un rôle important dans le régime de perturbations de la sapinière à Bouleau jaune.

Harvesting and slash piling affects soil respiration, soil temperature, and soil moisture regimes in Newfoundland boreal forests

2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. T. Moroni ◽  
P. Q. Carter ◽  
D. A.J. Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Respiration Rates ◽  
A Minor

The effect of harvesting and slash piling on soil respiration, temperature and moisture was examined in a balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and a black spruce (Picea marinara) forest located in western Newfoundland, Canada, 2 mo to 2.5 yr following harvesting. Within 4 mo of harvesting, soil temperature, moisture, and soil respiration rates were affected by harvesting and slash piling. Clearcut areas without slash (CC-S) had significantly lower soil respiration rates than uncut forests (F). However, clearcut areas with slash cover (CC+S) had significantly higher soil respiration rates than CC-S. When harvested areas with and without slash were combined, harvesting decreased soil respiration in the black spruce forest but had no effect on soil respiration in the balsam fir forest. Harvesting increased soil temperatures at 10 cm, however CC+S temperatures were cooler than CC-S temperatures. Harvested areas tended to dry faster than F, although soil moisture levels at >3.5 cm were not significantly depleted. However, there was evidence of soil drying at <3.5 cm. Soil temperature (at 10 cm) at the time of measurement was most strongly correlated to rates of soil respiration. Temporal variability and treatment effects (harvesting and slash piling) played a minor role in explaining soil respiration rates when variations in soil respiration were adjusted for 10-cm soil temperature,. Soil moisture levels (3.5-9.5 cm depth), which did not vary widely, also played a minor role in explaining soil respiration rates.Key words: Clearcut, Abies balsamea, Picea marinara, carbon dioxide, greenhouse gas

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