scholarly journals Testing the Effect of Snag and Cavity Supply on Deadwood-Associated Species in a Managed Boreal Forest

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Dufour-Pelletier ◽  
Junior A. Tremblay ◽  
Christian Hébert ◽  
Thibault Lachat ◽  
Jacques Ibarzabal
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Forest Edge ◽  
Trypodendron Lineatum ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Beetle Assemblages ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Associated Species ◽  
Cavity Users

Standing deadwood is an important attribute of old-growth boreal forests and it provides essential microhabitats for deadwood-associated species. In managed boreal forests, short rotations tend to limit the amount and diversity of standing deadwood. This study evaluates if the anthropogenic supply of deadwood attributes through tree girdling or by providing nest boxes may favor deadwood-associated species. We studied the short-term response of saproxylic beetles, foraging woodpeckers, and secondary cavity users to snag and cavity supply in 50 to 70-year-old black spruce stands. In spring 2015, we girdled 8000 black spruce according to two spatial distributions (uniform and clustered), and we also installed 450 nest boxes of six different sizes at three distances from the forest edge. Using trunk window traps, we captured significantly more beetles in sites with girdled trees than in control sites in both 2015 and 2016. We also recorded a trend of a greater abundance of beetles in clusters of girdled trees than within uniformly distributed girdled trees. Trypodendron lineatum (Oliver) dominated beetle assemblages, representing 88.5% of all species in 2015 and 74.6% in 2016. The number of beetles captured was 7× higher in 2015 than in 2016. In contrast, we observed greater amounts of woodpecker foraging marks in fall 2016 than in either fall 2015 or spring 2016. Woodpeckers foraged significantly more in clusters of girdled trees than within uniformly distributed girdled trees. Woodpeckers’ foraging mark presence was positively associated with the proportion of recent cuts at 1 km around the study sites. Five Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus Forster) pairs used nest boxes and occupied smaller box sizes that were located away from the forest edge. Our study showed that structural enrichment can be effective in rapidly attracting deadwood-associated species within managed forest stands.

scholarly journals Comparison of Trypodendron lineatum, T. domesticum and T. laeve (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) flight activity in Central Europe

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (No. 9) ◽  
pp. 382-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Lukášová ◽  
J. Holuša
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Field Trapping ◽  
Forest Edge ◽  
Flight Activity ◽  
Trypodendron Lineatum ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Significant Relationships ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Study Sites

The main goal of work was to compare the flight activity of Trypodendron lineatum, T. domesticum and T. laeve in Central Europe. Field trapping experiments were conducted in 70- to 100-year-old Norway spruce stands located at three study sites in the Czech Republic. At each study site five pheromone traps were used. Pheromone-baited, black, window-slot traps (Theysohn, Germany) were used. Traps were placed at log landing areas 10–15 m apart from the nearest forest edge. Each trap was baited with a standard synthetic pheromone lure, XL Ecolure (Fytofarm, Slovakia). Three species of Trypodendron were recorded. T. lineatum was the most abundant, followed by T. domesticum and T. laeve. Flight activity began at the end of March or in mid-April. Only one another peak of the flight activity of T. lineatum and T. domesticum was observed at one study site in May 2011. Statistically significant relationships were found between catches of all species with the exception of T. lineatum vs. T. laeve and T. domesticum vs. T. laeve at one site. Males were more abundant than females mainly in T. lineatum samples. On the other hand, T. domesticum and T. laeve abundances of males and females were more equal, but in all cases of all Trypodendron species these abundances were not significantly different at all sites.  

scholarly journals Vulnerability of Conifer Regeneration to Spruce Budworm Outbreaks in the Eastern Canadian Boreal Forest

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janie Lavoie ◽  
Miguel Montoro Girona ◽  
Hubert Morin
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Insect Outbreaks ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
Canadian Boreal Forest

Spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) is the main defoliator of conifer trees in North American boreal forests, affecting extensive areas and causing marked losses of timber supplies. In 2017, spruce budworm affected more than 7 million ha of Eastern Canadian forest. Defoliation was particularly severe for black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.), one of the most important commercial trees in Canada. During the last decades, intensive forest exploitation practices have created vast stands of young balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) and black spruce. Most research focused on the impacts of spruce budworm has been on mature stands; its effects on regeneration, however, have been neglected. This study evaluates the impacts of spruce budworm on the defoliation of conifer seedlings (black spruce and balsam fir) in clearcuts. We measured the cumulative and annual defoliation of seedlings within six clearcut black spruce stands in Quebec (Canada) that had experienced severe levels of defoliation due to spruce budworm. For all sampled seedlings, we recorded tree species, height class, and distance to the residual forest. Seedling height and species strongly influenced defoliation level. Small seedlings were less affected by spruce budworm activity. As well, cumulative defoliation for balsam fir was double that of black spruce (21% and 9%, respectively). Distance to residual stands had no significant effect on seedling defoliation. As insect outbreaks in boreal forests are expected to become more severe and frequent in the near future, our results are important for adapting forest management strategies to insect outbreaks in a context of climate change.

Soil oxygen within boreal forests across an age gradient

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Fenton ◽  
S. Légaré ◽  
Y. Bergeron ◽  
D. Paré
Keyword(s):  
Water Table ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Methodological Issue ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Forest Region ◽  
Feather Mosses ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
Potential Factors

Globally, soil anoxia and water table rise play a role in the development of peatlands from forests. Cited causes have included a diversity of internal and external mechanisms, including Sphagnum and feather mosses, hardpan development, and peatland expansion. The objectives of this study were to examine water table depth in black spruce stands of the Clay Belt of Quebec and Ontario, and to associate changes with potential stand scale causal factors (primarily biological). A methodological issue, the link between oxygen zone and water table, was also addressed. Within stands less than 100 yr post-fire, oxygen zone and water table position were only loosely related, and no other potential factors were significantly correlated. Across a chronosequence of stands, while oxygen zone thickness in the soil profile was relatively constant, its position relative to the mineral soil changed, as it rose from the mineral soil into the forest floor. Forest floor thickness was the dominant explanatory factor in oxygen zone position, suggesting that in these forests other postulated mechanisms are less important. At the landscape level, the movement of the oxygen zone into the forest floor has important consequences for the long-term productivity of this intensively exploited forest region. Key words: Water table, black spruce, paludification, forest floor, Clay Belt, Sphagnum

scholarly journals Changes in growth of pristine boreal North American forests from 1950 to 2005 driven by landscape demographics and species traits

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1021-1053 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Girardin ◽  
X. J. Guo ◽  
P. Y. Bernier ◽  
F. Raulier ◽  
S. Gauthier
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
The Many

Abstract. In spite of the many factors that are occurring and known for positively affecting the growth of forests, some boreal forests across North America have recently felt the adverse impacts of environmental changes. Knowledge of causes for productivity declines in North American boreal forests remains limited and this is owed to the large spatial and temporal scales involved, and the many plant processes affected. Here, the response of pristine eastern boreal North American (PEBNA) forests to ongoing climatic changes is examined using in situ data, community ecology statistics, and species-specific model simulations of carbon exchanges forced by contemporary climatic data. To examine trends in forest growth, we used a recently acquired collection of tree-ring width data from 252 sample plots distributed in PEBNA forests dominated by black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] B.S.P.) and jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.). Results of linear trend analysis on the tree growth data highlight a dominating forest growth decline in overmature forests (age > 120 yr) from 1950 to 2005. In contrast, improving growth conditions are seen in jack pine and mature (70–120 yr) black spruce stands. Multivariate analysis of climate and growth relationships suggests that responses of PEBNA forests to climate are dependent on demographic and species traits via their mediation of temperature and water stress constraints. In support of this hypothesis, the simulation experiment suggests that in old-growth black spruce stands the benefit to growth brought on by a longer growing season may have been low in comparison with the increasing moisture stress and respiration losses caused by warmer summer temperatures. Predicted increases in wildfire frequency in PEBNA forests will likely enhance the positive response of landscape-level forest growth to climate change by shifting the forest distribution to younger age classes while also enhancing the jack pine component.

scholarly journals Changes in growth of pristine boreal North American forests from 1950 to 2005 driven by landscape demographics and species traits

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 2523-2536 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Girardin ◽  
X. J. Guo ◽  
P. Y. Bernier ◽  
F. Raulier ◽  
S. Gauthier
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
The Many

Abstract. In spite of the many factors that are occurring and known for positively affecting the growth of forests, some boreal forests across North America have recently felt the adverse impacts of environmental changes. Knowledge of causes for productivity declines in North American boreal forests remains limited, and this is owed to the large spatial and temporal scales involved, and the many plant processes affected. Here, the response of pristine eastern boreal North American (PEBNA) forests to ongoing climatic changes is examined using in situ data, community ecology statistics, and species-specific model simulations of carbon exchanges forced by contemporary climatic data. To examine trends in forest growth, we used a recently acquired collection of tree-ring width data from 252 sample plots distributed in PEBNA forests dominated by black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] B.S.P.) and jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.). Results of linear trend analysis on the tree growth data highlight a dominating forest growth decline in overmature forests (age > 120 years) from 1950 to 2005. In contrast, improving growth conditions are seen in jack pine and mature (70–120 years) black spruce stands. Multivariate analysis of climate and growth relationships suggests that responses of PEBNA forests to climate are dependent on demographic and species traits via their mediation of temperature and water stress constraints. In support of this hypothesis, the simulation experiment suggests that in old-growth black spruce stands the benefit to growth brought on by a longer growing season may have been low in comparison with the increasing moisture stress and respiration losses caused by warmer summer temperatures. Predicted increases in wildfire frequency in PEBNA forests will likely enhance the positive response of landscape-level forest growth to climate change by shifting the forest distribution to younger age classes while also enhancing the jack pine component.

Growth dynamics of black spruce in stands located between the 51st and 52nd parallels in the boreal forest of Quebec, Canada

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (9) ◽  
pp. 1769-1778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Josée Tremblay ◽  
Sergio Rossi ◽  
Hubert Morin
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Growth Dynamics ◽  
Stand Dynamics ◽  
Stand Development ◽  
Insect Outbreaks ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
Ecological Importance

Despite their ecological importance, the role and effects of insect outbreaks on stand dynamics of the northern boreal forests in North America have still to be demonstrated. The study was conducted between the 51st and 52nd parallels in Quebec, Canada, to identify mechanisms governing regeneration of high-latitude stands by investigating variations in growth of trees during stand development. Chronologies of tree-ring width and individual dynamics of growth in height and volume were assessed in black spruce ( Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P) of one even-aged and five uneven-aged stands. Uneven-aged stands contained trees up to 340 years old and representing almost every age class. Several growth reductions were observed that were synchronized between stands and were characterized by high amplitudes but different percentages of affected trees. These reductions were followed by marked growth releases. Even if the absence of nonhost species prevented the building of chronologies that could confirm the origin of growth reductions, the findings suggested that spruce budworm ( Archips fumiferana Clemens [syn.: Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens)]) outbreaks contribute to the formation and maintenance of the uneven-aged structure of older black spruce stands at high latitudes.

Saproxylic insect assemblages in Canadian forests: diversity, ecology, and conservation

2008 ◽  
Vol 140 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Langor ◽  
H.E. James Hammond ◽  
John R. Spence ◽  
Joshua Jacobs ◽  
Tyler P. Cobb
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Dead Wood ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Managed Forests ◽  
Saproxylic Insects ◽  
Associated Species ◽  
Experimental Burns

AbstractSaproxylic insect assemblages inhabiting dead wood in Canadian forests are highly diverse and variable but quite poorly understood. Adequate assessment of these assemblages poses significant challenges with respect to sampling, taxonomy, and analysis. Their assessment is nonetheless critical to attaining the broad goals of sustainable forest management because such species are disproportionately threatened elsewhere by the reductions in dead wood generally associated with commercial exploitation of northern forests. The composition of the saproxylic fauna is influenced by many factors, including tree species, degree of decay, stand age, and cause of tree death. Wildfire and forest harvesting have differential impacts on saproxylic insect assemblages and on their recovery in postdisturbance stands. Exploration of saproxylic insect responses to variable retention harvesting and experimental burns is contributing to the development of prescriptions for conserving saproxylic insects in boreal forests. Understanding of processes that determine diversity patterns and responses of saproxylic insects would benefit from increased attention to natural history. Such work should aim to provide a habitat-classification system for dead wood to better identify habitats (and associated species) at risk as a result of forest management. This tool could also be used to improve strategies to better maintain saproxylic organisms and their central nutrient-cycling functions in managed forests.

Long-term effects of clear-cutting on epigaeic beetle assemblages in boreal forests

2016 ◽  
Vol 359 ◽  
pp. 65-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Therese Johansson ◽  
Joakim Hjältén ◽  
Jörgen Olsson ◽  
Mats Dynesius ◽  
Jean-Michel Roberge
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Beetle Assemblages

scholarly journals Comparative Height Growth of Eastern Larch and Black Spruce in Northwestern Ontario

1978 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 296-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas A. Mead
Keyword(s):  
Picea Mariana ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Larix Laricina ◽  
Stem Analysis ◽  
Northwestern Ontario ◽  
Analysis Methods ◽  
Spruce Stands

Height growth of eastern larch (Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch) and black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) was determined using standard stem analysis methods on trees from two sites in northwestern Ontario. The data were obtained from mixed larch-spruce stands which were relatively undisturbed. The larch exhibited substantially better height growth than the spruce through age 65.

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