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

scholarly journals Wolverine, Gulo gulo luscus, Resting Sites and Caching Behavior in the Boreal Forest

2004 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Wright ◽  
Jessica Ernst
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Gulo Gulo ◽  
Feeding Site ◽  
Resting Sites ◽  
Conservation Implications ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
Good Visibility

Wolverine (Gulo gulo luscus) caches and resting sites were examined in a study area in the boreal upland forests of northwestern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia (approximately 57°N). Cache sites were in climax, or “overmature” stands of Black Spruce (Picea mariana) or mixed-wood of high complexity, dominated by conifers, and in which the Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides) and Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera) component consisted of mostly dead or dying trees characteristic of such old growth in the boreal uplands. Sites offered relatively good visibility of the surrounding stand. Sites were never located in the dense to extremely dense homogenous spruce stands documented as being favored for travel by Wolverines in the study area. The better used cache complexes were accessed by numerous well-used trails made by the Wolverines themselves. Caches consisted of the bones, hide and hair of Moose (Alces alces) believed to have been killed by Grey Wolves (Canis lupus). Caches were classified as “simple caches” composed of a single feeding site and/or excavation and “cache complexes” involving one or more feeding “stations”, latrines, resting sites, and climbing trees that may have been used as avenues of escape from competitors/predators. Resting sites were located atop the snow in relatively open locations that offered good visibility of the surroundings. Climax stands were implicated as being of importance to Wolverine caching behavior. Conservation implications include the detrimental effect on Wolverine populations likely to result from current timber harvesting practices in the boreal forest.

Mixed-species effect on tree aboveground carbon pools in the east-central boreal forests

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavier Cavard ◽  
Yves Bergeron ◽  
Han Y.H. Chen ◽  
David Paré
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Carbon Gain ◽  
Trembling Aspen ◽  
Niche Complementarity ◽  
Aboveground Carbon

This study investigates the potential of mixed forest stands as better aboveground carbon sinks than pure stands. According to the facilitation and niche complementarity hypotheses, we predict higher carbon sequestration in mature boreal mixedwoods. Aboveground carbon contents of black spruce ( Picea mariana (Mill.) Britton, Sterns, Poggenb.) and trembling aspen ( Populus tremuloides Michx.) mixtures were investigated in the eastern boreal forest, whereas jack pine ( Pinus banksiana Lamb.) and trembling aspen were used in the central boreal forest. No carbon gain was found in species mixtures; nearly pure trembling aspen stands contained the greatest amount of aboveground carbon, black spruce stands had the least, and mixtures were intermediate with amounts that could generally be predicted by linear interpolation with stem proportions. These results suggest that for aspen, the potentially detrimental effect of spruce on soils observed in other studies may be offset by greater light availability in mixtures. On the other hand, for black spruce, the potentially beneficial effects of aspen on soils could be offset by greater competition by aspen for nutrients and light. The mixture of jack pine and trembling aspen did not benefit any of these species while inducing a loss in trembling aspen carbon at the stand level.

scholarly journals Root-Associated Ectomycorrhizal Fungi Shared by Various Boreal Forest Seedlings Naturally Regenerating after a Fire in Interior Alaska and Correlation of Different Fungi with Host Growth Responses

2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (10) ◽  
pp. 3351-3359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Bent ◽  
Preston Kiekel ◽  
Rebecca Brenton ◽  
D. Lee Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Fungal Community ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Root Tip ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Root Tips ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACTThe role of common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) in postfire boreal forest successional trajectories is unknown. We investigated this issue by sampling a 50-m by 40-m area of naturally regenerating black spruce (Picea mariana), trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), and paper birch (Betula papyrifera) seedlings at various distances from alder (Alnus viridissubsp.crispa), a nitrogen-fixing shrub, 5 years after wildfire in an Alaskan interior boreal forest. Shoot biomasses and stem diameters of 4-year-old seedlings were recorded, and the fungal community associated with ectomycorrhizal (ECM) root tips from each seedling was profiled using molecular techniques. We found distinct assemblages of fungi associated with alder compared with those associated with the other tree species, making the formation of CMNs between them unlikely. However, among the spruce, aspen, and birch seedlings, there were many shared fungi (including members of thePezoloma ericae[Hymenoscyphus ericae] species aggregate,Thelephora terrestris, andRussulaspp.), raising the possibility that these regenerating seedlings may form interspecies CMNs. Distance between samples did not influence how similar ECM root tip-associated fungal communities were, and of the fungal groups identified, only one of them was more likely to be shared between seedlings that were closer together, suggesting that the majority of fungi surveyed did not have a clumped distribution across the small scale of this study. The presence of some fungal ribotypes was associated with larger or smaller seedlings, suggesting that these fungi may play a role in the promotion or inhibition of seedling growth. The fungal ribotypes associated with larger seedlings were different between spruce, aspen, and birch, suggesting differential impacts of some host-fungus combinations. One may speculate that wildfire-induced shifts in a given soil fungal community could result in variation in the growth response of different plant species after fire and a shift in regenerating vegetation.

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.

scholarly journals Breeding Bird Communities in Boreal Forest of Western Canada: Consequences of “Unmixing” the Mixedwoods

The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (4) ◽  
pp. 759-769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith A. Hobson ◽  
Erin Bayne
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Trembling Aspen ◽  
Vegetation Heterogeneity ◽  
Mixedwood Stands

Abstract Silvicultural practices following clearcutting in boreal forest may encourage the creation of monospecific, single-aged stands having less vegetation heterogeneity and diversity than original stands. We conducted point counts in central Saskatchewan, Canada, 1993–1995, in pure and mixedwood stands dominated by black spruce (Picea mariana), jackpine (Pinus banksiana), trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), or white spruce (Picea glauca). Mixedwood stands supported more individuals and more species than pure stands. Higher abundance in mixedwood stands relative to pure stands was consistent among nesting guilds and migration strategies. Rarefaction revealed similar patterns, although pure trembling aspen stands were predicted to support more species than aspen-dominated mixedwood stands. Increased avian diversity in mixedwood stands was not solely the result of the mixing of bird species associated with coniferous or deciduous forest types. Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina), Pine Siskin (Carduelis pinus), White-winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera), Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis), Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus), and Tennessee Warbler (Vermivora peregrina) were more abundant in mixedwood stands than pure stands. Black-throated Green Warbler (Dendroica virens), Magnolia Warbler (D. magnolia), and Blackburnian Warbler (D. fusca) were abundant in stands dominated by white spruce but were absent from jackpine or black spruce. Other species such as American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) and Chestnut-sided Warbler (D. pensylvanica) relied exclusively on pure trembling aspen, particularly stands with dense shrub cover. Several bird species in the boreal forest will be adversely affected by forestry practices that target mature to old aspen and white spruce mixedwoods and promote reduction in mixedwood compositions of regenerating 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.

Recruitment of Picea mariana, Pinus banksiana, and Populus tremuloides across a burn severity gradient following wildfire in the southern boreal forest of Quebec

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 1845-1857 ◽  
Author(s):  
D F Greene ◽  
J Noël ◽  
Y Bergeron ◽  
M Rousseau ◽  
S Gauthier
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Crown Fire ◽  
Conifer Species ◽  
Seed Supply

Most studies of postfire tree recruitment have occurred in severely burned portions, despite the fact that partial burning is common. In this study we examined regeneration following a 1997 fire in the boreal forest of Quebec. A model of postfire recruitment was elaborated using parameters such as the proportion of trees killed (severity), the proportions of postfire seedbed types and their associated juvenile survivorship, the available seed supply, the available bud supply (for Populus tremuloides Michx.), and the granivory rate. All three species had peak recruitment in the first or second summer, and the recruitment episode was essentially finished after the third year. Mineral soil and surviving Sphagnum were the best seedbeds for both conifer species. Seedbed frequency was essentially independent of crown fire severity except for surviving Sphagnum, which was concentrated primarily where severity was light. Conifer fecundity was much lower in the lightly burned stands, a result we attribute to a higher granivory rate. The fecundity (seedlings/basal area for the conifers or suckers/basal area for Populus) in the severe sites was typical of the few other North American studies of postfire recruitment, where the published data permit us to make the comparison.

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