scholarly journals Dynamics of Territorial Occupation by North American Beavers in Canadian Boreal Forests: A Novel Dendroecological Approach

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie-Pascale Labrecque-Foy ◽  
Hubert Morin ◽  
Miguel Montoro Girona
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
North American ◽  
Water Body ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Castor Canadensis ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
The North ◽  
Patterns Of Use ◽  
Over Time

Research Highlights: Our study highlights a new, simple, and effective method for studying the habitat use by beavers in Canadian boreal forests. Information regarding the presence of beaver colonies and their habitat occupation is essential for proper forest management and damage prevention in the boreal forest. Background and Objectives: The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) is a major element of natural disturbance, altering the dynamics and structure of boreal forest landscapes. Beaver-related activities also affect human infrastructure, cause floods, and lead to important monetary losses for forestry industries. Our study aimed to determine the spatiotemporal patterns of beaver occupation of lodges over time. Materials and Methods: Using a dendroecological approach to date browsing activity, we studied the occupation of two lodges per water body for eight water bodies located in the boreal forest of Québec, Canada. Results: Three sites showed alternating patterns of lodge use (occupation) over time, three sites (37.5%) demonstrated no alternating patterns of use, and two sites (25%) presented unclear patterns of lodge use. Conclusions: Alternating patterns of lodge use can be linked to food depletion and the need to regenerate vegetation around lodges, while non-alternating patterns may be related to fluctuations in water levels, the specific shrub and tree species surrounding the lodges, the size of the beaver territory, and the number of lodges present on a water body.

Using Landsat data to assess fire and burn severity in the North American boreal forest region: an overview and summary of results

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy H. F. French ◽  
Eric S. Kasischke ◽  
Ronald J. Hall ◽  
Karen A. Murphy ◽  
David L. Verbyla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
North American ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Forest Succession ◽  
Fire Effects ◽  
Burn Severity ◽  
The North ◽  
Forest Region ◽  
Post Fire Effects ◽  
Boreal Forest Region

There has been considerable interest in the recent literature regarding the assessment of post-fire effects on forested areas within the North American boreal forest. Assessing the physical and ecological effects of fire in boreal forests has far-reaching implications for a variety of ecosystem processes – such as post-fire forest succession – and land management decisions. The present paper reviews past assessments and the studies presented in this special issue that have largely been based on the Composite Burn Index and differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR). Results from relating and mapping fire/burn severity within the boreal region have been variable, and are likely attributed, in part, to the wide variability in vegetation and terrain conditions that are characteristic of the region. Satellite remote sensing of post-fire effects alone without proper field calibration should be avoided. A sampling approach combining field and image values of burn condition is necessary for successful mapping of fire/burn severity. Satellite-based assessments of fire/burn severity, and in particular dNBR and related indices, need to be used judiciously and assessed for appropriateness based on the users’ need. Issues unique to high latitudes also need to be considered when using satellite-derived information in the boreal forest region.

Carbon and nitrogen cycling in North American boreal forests. II. Biogeographic patterns

1990 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 1077-1088 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon B. Bonan
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Nitrogen Cycling ◽  
North American ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen Cycling ◽  
Ecological Relationships ◽  
The North ◽  
Interior Alaska

A model of carbon and nitrogen cycling developed with ecological relationships from upland boreal forests in interior Alaska was tested with forest structure and forest floor data from several bioclimatic regions of the North American boreal forest. Test forests included black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.), white spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss), white birch (Betulapapyrifera Marsh.), balsam fir (Abiesbalsamea (L.) Mill.), and jack pine (Pinusbanksiana Lamb.) stands located in five different bioclimatic regions. Test comparisons of simulated and actual data included aboveground tree biomass, basal area, density, litter fall, and moss and lichen biomass as well as forest floor biomass, turnover, thickness, nitrogen concentration, and nitrogen mineralization. The model correctly simulated 60 (76%) of the 79 variables tested. Approximately 42% of the incorrectly simulated variables occurred in one forest. The major recurring errors included inaccurate moss and lichen biomass and low moss nitrogen concentrations. These tests indicated that ecological relationships from interior Alaska can be extended to other boreal forest regions and identified the factors controlling vegetation patterns in different bioclimatic regions of the North American boreal forest.

scholarly journals Effects of lightning and other meteorological factors on fire activity in the North American boreal forest: implications for fire weather forecasting

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (14) ◽  
pp. 6873-6888 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Peterson ◽  
J. Wang ◽  
C. Ichoku ◽  
L. A. Remer
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
North American ◽  
Meteorological Factors ◽  
Convective Available Potential Energy ◽  
Fire Weather ◽  
Lightning Strikes ◽  
The North ◽  
Lightning Detection ◽  
Western Boreal Forest ◽  
Consecutive Dry Days

Abstract. The effects of lightning and other meteorological factors on wildfire activity in the North American boreal forest are statistically analyzed during the fire seasons of 2000–2006 through an integration of the following data sets: the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) level 2 fire products, the 3-hourly 32-km gridded meteorological data from North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR), and the lightning data collected by the Canadian Lightning Detection Network (CLDN) and the Alaska Lightning Detection Network (ALDN). Positive anomalies of the 500 hPa geopotential height field, convective available potential energy (CAPE), number of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes, and the number of consecutive dry days are found to be statistically important to the seasonal variation of MODIS fire counts in a large portion of Canada and the entirety of Alaska. Analysis of fire occurrence patterns in the eastern and western boreal forest regions shows that dry (in the absence of precipitation) lightning strikes account for only 20% of the total lightning strikes, but are associated with (and likely cause) 40% of the MODIS observed fire counts in these regions. The chance for ignition increases when a threshold of at least 10 dry strikes per NARR grid box and at least 10 consecutive dry days is reached. Due to the orientation of the large-scale pattern, complex differences in fire and lightning occurrence and variability were also found between the eastern and western sub-regions. Locations with a high percentage of dry strikes commonly experience an increased number of fire counts, but the mean number of fire counts per dry strike is more than 50% higher in western boreal forest sub-region, suggesting a geographic and possible topographic influence. While wet lightning events are found to occur with a large range of CAPE values, a high probability for dry lightning occurs only when 500 hPa geopotential heights are above ~5700 m and CAPE values are near the maximum observed level, underscoring the importance of low-level instability to boreal fire weather forecasts.

scholarly journals Small mammal assemblage in beaver-modified habitats

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janne Sundell ◽  
Wenfei Liao ◽  
Petri Nummi
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammal ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Ecosystem Engineer ◽  
Castor Canadensis ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Habitat Diversity ◽  
Myodes Glareolus ◽  
Positive Interactions ◽  
The North

Abstract One of the less studied positive interactions among organisms is facilitation. Facilitation may have significant impact on diversity of species especially in low productive environments. We studied the effects of well-known facilitator and ecosystem engineer, the North American beaver (Castor canadensis), on small mammal assemblages in the boreal zone. The small mammals, namely voles, mice, and shrews, were trapped over 2 years in ten beaver-modified habitats and in ten control sites. Contrary to our expectations, we did not observe any differences between species or individual numbers between beaver-modified and control sites. However, there were differences in species composition between sites; grass-eating field voles (Microtus agrestis) and invertebrate-eating shrews (Sorex araneus, Neomys fodiens) tended to be more common in beaver sites while forest-dwelling wood lemmings (Myopus schisticolor) and yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis) were only captured in control sites. The most common species in both habitats was the bank vole (Myodes glareolus), which is a generalist in its habitat requirements. The bank vole’s population structures were similar between the two habitat types. The actions of beavers in water bodies within boreal forests seem to have no effect on the small mammal diversity and their numbers at the regional scale but may have positive effect on them at the larger landscape level as beavers are increasing the overall habitat diversity in the landscape.

Anatomy of the tail in the beaver (Castor canadensis)

1981 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 390-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Mahoney ◽  
H. I. Rosenberg
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Castor Canadensis ◽  
Functional Studies ◽  
The North ◽  
American Beaver

A detailed description of the caudal muscles and a review of the bones in the tail of the North American beaver (Castor canadensis) are presented as a base for future functional studies. Differences between previous and present findings are noted and discussed. All the differences indicate that the arrangement of muscles and tendons is more complex than previously indicated.

Factors influencing forage selection by the North American beaver (Castor canadensis)

2013 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Travis G. Gerwing ◽  
Chris J. Johnson ◽  
Cecilia Alström-Rapaport
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Castor Canadensis ◽  
The North ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
American Beaver
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