scholarly journals Impacts of Alternative Harvesting and Natural Disturbance Scenarios on Forest Biomass in the Superior National Forest, USA

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Russell ◽  
Stephanie Patton ◽  
David Wilson ◽  
Grant Domke ◽  
Katie Frerker
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Biomass ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Volume Control ◽  
National Forest ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Natural Disturbances ◽  
Project Area

The amount of biomass stored in forest ecosystems is a result of past natural disturbances, forest management activities, and current structure and composition such as age class distributions. Although natural disturbances are projected to increase in their frequency and severity on a global scale in the future, forest management and timber harvesting decisions continue to be made at local scales, e.g., the ownership or stand level. This study simulated potential changes in natural disturbance regimes and their interaction with timber harvest goals across the Superior National Forest (SNF) in northeastern Minnesota, USA. Forest biomass stocks and stock changes were simulated for 120 years under three natural disturbance and four harvest scenarios. A volume control approach was used to estimate biomass availability across the SNF and a smaller project area within the SNF (Jeanette Project Area; JPA). Results indicate that under current harvest rates and assuming disturbances were twice that of normal levels resulted in reductions of 2.62 to 10.38% of forest biomass across the four primary forest types in the SNF and JPA, respectively. Under this scenario, total biomass stocks remained consistent after 50 years at current and 50% disturbance rates, but biomass continued to decrease under a 200%-disturbance scenario through 120 years. In comparison, scenarios that assumed both harvest and disturbance were twice that of normal levels and resulted in reductions ranging from 14.18 to 29.85% of forest biomass. These results suggest that both natural disturbances and timber harvesting should be considered to understand their impacts to future forest structure and composition. The implications from simulations like these can provide managers with strategic approaches to determine the economic and ecological outcomes associated with timber harvesting and disturbances.

scholarly journals Quantifying natural disturbances using a large‐scale dendrochronological reconstruction to guide forest management

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vojtěch Čada ◽  
Volodymyr Trotsiuk ◽  
Pavel Janda ◽  
Martin Mikoláš ◽  
Radek Bače ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Natural Disturbances

scholarly journals Disturbances and biodiversity in forest ecosystems: A temperate zone perspective

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Bark Beetle ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Temperate Zone ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Main Task ◽  
Natural Disturbances ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Biodiversity Protection

In the temperate zone windstorms and bark beetle attacks represent the main natural forest disturbances; in steep mountain areas snow avalanches also may “destroy” forest stands completely. In the densely populated and intensively used temperate zone of Europe affected forest stands will be cleared and reforested immediately after such “catastrophes”. Therefore we have only little knowledge about the influence of such natural disturbances on both the stand development and the biodiversity of native forest ecosystems. And we do not have quantitative data on to which degree forest management changes the biodiversity compared to the natural disturbances. Since about two decades several permanent plot studies have been running in European forests affected by such natural disturbances, mainly with focus on plant species. Here we first outline the importance of disturbances for biodiversity in forest ecosystems and then discuss whether it is possible to combine both biodiversity protection and forest management. For that we use four recent case studies carried out in the two oldest national parks in Germany, three of them being long-term observations on permanent plots for up to two decades. Disturbances like wind throw, bark beetle outbreak and snow avalanche strongly influences the tree layer structure, creating micro-habitats for many plant, animal and fungi species, which naturally belong to the forest ecosystem. Such disturbances in future should be included into management schemes in forestry to improve biodiversity. We found evidence that it is really possible to combine timber utilization with biodiversity protection. As long as the management impact is reduced (e.g. single tree harvesting, using natural regeneration), species diversity of several taxonomic groups (in our study: vascular plants, soil living Carabidae, and soil living fungi) may not be different significantly from a pristine forest. Interconnecting resource use with biodiversity protection will be a main task for both foresters and conservationist in the decades to come – and it seems to be a possible option for a sustainable land use in many parts of the world.doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/botor.v8i0.5552 Botanica Orientalis – Journal of Plant Science (2011) 8: 1-9

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

National circumstances in the international circumboreal community

2007 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A Wulder ◽  
Celina Campbell ◽  
Joanne C White ◽  
Mike Flannigan ◽  
Ian D Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Area ◽  
Private Ownership ◽  
Natural Disturbances ◽  
Climate History ◽  
Publicly Owned

Boreal forest nations are often thought to have similar environmental, social, and economic contexts. In this communication we show that boreal forest nations are a disparate grouping, with some similarities and many differences. Highlighting these differing national contexts provides insights into how a given nation utilizes the boreal forests over which it holds stewardship responsibilities. Current national contexts are related to each nation's physiography, climate, history, legacy of past forest management, the timing of transition from natural to plantation forests, population density and distribution, and access to resources and markets. Boreal forests are dominated by pioneer species that are resilient to disturbance and have a demonstrated ability to adapt to past climate changes. National responses to natural disturbances are linked to forest area, ownership, and management intensity. Boreal forests in large nations (e.g., Canada, Russian Federation) are typically publicly owned, and disturbances such as fire are allowed to progress naturally over remote areas. In smaller nations, where there is often a greater proportion of private ownership and a focus on production forestry, natural disturbances are more aggressively controlled (e.g., Sweden, Finland). Large nations with low boreal human population densities have a greater proportion of natural boreal forest, with relatively higher levels of biodiversity when compared to the fully managed forests of some smaller boreal nations. In smaller nations, the combination of limited forest area and private ownership has facilitated the dominance of intensive sustainable forestry management practices (e.g., Finland). Conversely, in nations with more spatially extensive forest assets that are publicly owned and managed to meet multiple objectives, extensive sustainable forest management practices dominate (e.g., Canada, Russian Federation). Key words: boreal forest, global, national circumstances, environmental, social, economic, forestry practices, Canada

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document