Stand structure and regeneration in a Kamchatka mixed boreal forest

2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 627-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koichi Takahashi ◽  
Kosuke Homma ◽  
Valentina P. Vetrova ◽  
Sergey Florenzev ◽  
Toshihiko Hara
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Stand Structure

Sensitivity of ERS-1 and JERS-1 radar data to biomass and stand structure in Alaskan boreal forest

1995 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.A. Harrell ◽  
L.L. Bourgeau-Chavez ◽  
E.S. Kasischke ◽  
N.H.F. French ◽  
N.L. Christensen
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Radar Data

Stand structure and successional trends in virgin boreal forest reserves in Sweden

1997 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Linder ◽  
Björn Elfving ◽  
Olle Zackrisson
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Forest Reserves

Partial windthrow as a driving process of forest dynamics in old-growth boreal forests

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (10) ◽  
pp. 1165-1176 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Girard ◽  
Louis De Grandpré ◽  
Jean-Claude Ruel
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Forest Dynamics ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Vegetation Development

As climate changes, boreal forest ecosystems may become subject to disturbances that were previously uncommon in some regions. In recent decades, large tracts of northeastern boreal forest of Canada have been affected by different types of climatic events causing a lot of partial and some total stand mortality. Since these disturbances may become more important drivers of forest dynamics, there is a need to document their impact on forest structure. The objectives of this study were to describe temporal dynamics of partial windthrows and determine the effect of partial windthrow on stand composition and understory vegetation. The study was conducted in the North-Shore region of Quebec (Canada). Eighteen plots in closed forests were paired with 18 adjacent windthrow areas, in which trees experienced similar edaphic and climatic conditions. Dendroecological analyses, combined with vegetation sampling, were conducted on each site to determine stand structure and vegetation development through time. Significant increases in balsam fir and shade-tolerant species were observed in windthrow gaps. Tree mortality in windthrown stands was a slow process until the mid-1990s, a period during which spruce budworm defoliation may have played a role in weakening trees and making them more vulnerable to partial windthrow. Greater mortality observed following the mid-1990s was most certainly related to a regional storm. The initial composition of stands plays an important role in driving postwindthrow succession, as balsam fir is more susceptible to treefall. As opposed to stand-replacing windthrow and spruce budworm outbreaks that generate various postdisturbance responses, partial windthrow appears to only create opportunities for pre-established balsam fir to undergo release in gaps.

Effects of time since stand-replacing fire and overstory composition on live-tree structural diversity in the boreal forest of central Canada

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian W. Brassard ◽  
Han Y.H. Chen ◽  
Jian R. Wang ◽  
Peter N. Duinker
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Coefficient Of Variation ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Stand Development ◽  
Stand Volume ◽  
Diameter At Breast Height ◽  
Breast Height ◽  
Shaped Pattern ◽  
Mixedwood Stands

Stand structure diversity is hypothesized (i) to increase with stand development and (ii) to be greater in mixedwood stands than in conifer and broadleaf stands. We examined the effects of time since stand-replacing fire (TSF) and overstory type on stand volume, stand density, and tree-size variability, which is measured using Shannon’s diversity index (H′) and coefficient of variation, in fire-origin boreal forest stands. We sampled 36 stands representing conifer, mixedwood, and broadleaf overstory types, ranging in ages from 72 to 201 years TSF on upland mesic sites in northwestern Ontario, Canada. Stand volume decreased in older mixedwood and broadleaf stands, but followed a U-shaped pattern in conifer stands with TSF. Diameter-at-breast-height-based H′ followed an inverse U-shaped pattern with TSF for all overstory types. Height-based H′ decreased with TSF in conifer and mixedwood stands but peaked at the intermediate age class in broadleaf stands. Diameter-at-breast-height- and height-based coefficient of variation indices followed an inverse U-shaped distribution with TSF. Our results partially supported the two hypotheses, as (i) the 124- to 139-year-old stands were most diverse and (ii) mixedwood stands were more than or as equally diverse as conifer and broadleaf stands, depending on stand development stage and the diversity indices used.

Stand structure and dynamics of Picea mariana on the northern border of the natural closed boreal forest in Quebec, Canada

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 2307-2318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Rossi ◽  
Marie-Josée Tremblay ◽  
Hubert Morin ◽  
Valérie Levasseur
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Picea Mariana ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Tree Age ◽  
Stand Dynamics ◽  
Stand Development ◽  
Economic Potential ◽  
Structure And Dynamics ◽  
Northern Border ◽  
Ecological Importance

The boreal forest of higher latitudes constitutes a reservoir of trees of great ecological importance and unknown economic potential, but the stand dynamics in these regions still remain essentially unexplored. This paper examines the change in age and size structures during stand development on the northern border of the natural closed boreal forest in Quebec, Canada. Height, diameter, and age of trees were measured in 18 plots with stand ages between 77 and 340 years. The occurrence, size, and origin (layer or seed) of seedlings and saplings were assessed in subplots. Tree density ranged from 600 to 3750 trees·ha–1. Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP was the dominant species, mainly originating by layering. A cluster analysis segregated plots into even-aged and uneven-aged stands according to tree age, but size distribution of trees, saplings, and seedlings did not differ statistically between the two groups. Even-aged stands exhibited a 60% probability of assuming an uneven-aged structure between 120 and 200 years after stand initiation. At high latitudes, the closed boreal forest of P. mariana appears homogeneously sized, with similar distributions of diameter and height across all stages of stand development.

Linking stand attributes to cartographic information for ecosystem management purposes in the boreal forest of eastern Québec

2010 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 511-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Côté ◽  
Mathieu Bouchard ◽  
David Pothier ◽  
Sylvie Gauthier
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Ecosystem Management ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Forest Classification ◽  
Stand Characteristics

In the North American boreal forest, the adoption of forest ecosystem management strategies usually increases the number of forest stands to be treated with irregular or uneven-aged silvicultural systems. However, it is difficult to properly target the stands most appropriate for partial cut treatments in remote areas where road access is limited, because current inventory data do not include an assessment of key stand characteristics for silvicultural prescriptions, such as the abundance of small stems in the understory. In this study, we present a forest classification performed using classification and ordination methods, based on ground-measured structural and compositional stand characteristics, in a region of eastern Québec, Canada. This classification resulted in six forest types, which range in composition and structure from relatively regular post-fire stands dominated by black spruce (Picea mariana) to relatively irregular stands co-dominated by balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and black spruce. This classification was linked with cartographic information currently available to forest managers. Information from a fine-scale forest map predicted slightly better the presence of forest types with irregular stand structures compared with a coarse-scale forest map complemented with a fire map. Thus, areas most suitable for the implementation of uneven-aged silvicultural systems can be roughly delineated from existing cartographic information, which will facilitate their integration into large-scale and long-term forest management plans.Key words: boreal forest, forest classification, forest dynamics, stand structure, silviculture

Développement d’un outil de classification de la structure des peuplements et comparaison de deux territoires de la pessière à mousses du Québec

2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 318-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Boucher ◽  
L De Grandpré ◽  
S Gauthier
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Structural Diversity ◽  
Spruce Forest ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Statistical Tool ◽  
Forest Region ◽  
Spruce Stands

Forest stand structure is an important element for biodiversity and, from a sustainable forest management perspective, uneven-sized stands should be managed in order to maintain the structural diversity over the landscape. The first objective of this study is to develop a statistical tool to characterize stand structure that can be used in forest management planning. The second objective is to classify the stand structure of two regions to illustrate a possible use for the tool. The statistical tool for characterizing stand structure has been developed from forest inventory data gathered by the ministère des Ressources naturelles du Québec, using discriminant analysis. The analysis makes it possible to classify the stands into three types of structure, even-sized, uneven-sized and inverse J-shaped, with an error rate estimated at only 7%. Proportions of different structure types in Quebec’s eastern black spruce forest region have been compared with those found in the western black spruce forest region. Nearly 90% of the western black spruce forest region is composed of pure black spruce stands, contrary to the eastern black spruce region, where there are more pure fir and mixed spruce-fir stands. Most of the western black spruce forest stands are even-sized (62%), while almost 70% of the eastern black spruce forest stands are uneven-sized or inverse J-shaped. Pure black spruce stands are more even-sized than pure fir stands, but regional differences are also found within pure black spruce stands. Our results show that it is possible to develop a robust tool that makes it possible to classify thousands of stands rapidly. Such tools are required if we want to consider stand structure for appropriate management prescriptions in the boreal forest. Key words: Even- and uneven-sized structure, fire regime, Picea mariana, Abies balsamea, boreal forest, structural diversity

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