Modelling Landscape-level Effects of Reduced Herbicide Use in Two Forests in Northern Ontario

2011 ◽  
Vol 87 (02) ◽  
pp. 290-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Dacosta ◽  
Kandyd Szuba ◽  
F. Wayne Bell ◽  
Tom Moore ◽  
Ken Lennon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Transportation Cost ◽  
Spatial Modelling ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Forest Composition ◽  
Wood Supply ◽  
Forest Management Planning ◽  
Herbicide Use ◽  
Landscape Level

In Ontario, forest management planning requires that legal obligations to sustain forest composition and pattern, wildlife habitat, and other values are met, while at the same time addressing, for example, wood supply needs, costs, forest access, and stakeholder concerns. One of the latter is pressure to reduce herbicide use. Stand-level effects of vegetation management alternatives have been documented, but how these effects scale up to the landscape-level and affect the achievement of social, ecological, and economic objectives embedded in forest management plans (FMPs) remains uncertain. We applied nine modelling scenarios in the context of approved FMPs to explore the potential landscape-level effects of replacing herbicide use with an alternative (brush saw) for two large forests in northeastern Ontario. Results of non-spatial and spatial modelling over 60 years suggested that although herbicides are applied to only 25% to 34% of the harvested area in these forests, reductions in use would affect: (i) overall wood supply, with 14% to 44% less conifer and 6% to 17% less hardwood available; (ii) habitat supply, with less habitat for species preferring recent disturbances and more habitat for species preferring mature and older forest; (iii) costs, with wood transportation cost increasing by 16% to 20% and increased spending on silviculture; (iv) size and distribution of cutblocks and disturbance patches, with more small patches; and (v) the extent of the active road network, which would increase.

Spatial wood supply simulation modelling

1991 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 610-621 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Z. Baskent ◽  
G. A. Jordan
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Model ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Simulation Modelling ◽  
Spatial Modelling ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Timber Management ◽  
Gis Technology ◽  
Wood Supply ◽  
Geographic Context

Conventional wood supply simulation models have been found inadequate in both calculating true assessments of wood supply and in translating management strategies into on-the-ground management design. These models treat forests as aspatial entities and are unable to include economic and wildlife considerations in management design and calculation of wood supply. This paper presents and discusses the design and construction of a GIS-based (geographic information system) spatial wood supply model. The model uses geographic distribution of stand development types and stages and their change over time to control harvesting and calculate wood supply based on extraction economics ($/m3) and wildlife habitat values (opening size and green-up). The paper points out that: a spatial model is capable of producing harvest schedules and forest performance indicators that reflect geographic context as well as condition of stands; a GIS database is more important in spatial modelling than GIS technology; harvest blocks are the basic geographic element in spatial modelling; a spatial model provides a truer assessment of wood supply; and stand topology makes it relatively easy to integrate wildlife and timber management. Key words: Timber, wildlife, forest management, GIS, simulation model, wood supply

The Importance of Insect Control in a Forest Management Program

1951 ◽  
Vol 83 (7) ◽  
pp. 176-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. Morris
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Economic Loss ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Insect Control ◽  
Forest Composition ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Wood Supply ◽  
Direct Economic Loss

Swaine and Craighead (1924) have presented evidence that outbreaks of the spruce budworm occurred in Eastern Canada in 1806 and in 1878. In those days the wood supply appeared to be unlimited and the forest represented, to some extent, an obstacle that had to be removed so that the land could be cultivated. Balsam fir, the tree principally affected by the budworm, was seldom used for lumber when spruce was available. It can hardly be considered, therefore, that these early outbreaks caused much direct economic loss. If the trees had not been killed by the budworm, over-maturity and related factors would have removed them to make way for a new stand. In fact, were it not for the undesirable effects of budworm outbreaks on subsequent forest composition, it might even be argued that they were beneficial under certain conditions.

Herbicide Use for Forest Management in Canada: Where We Are and Where We Are Going

1990 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Absolute Number ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Assessment Methodology ◽  
Benefit Analysis ◽  
The Public ◽  
Herbicide Use

In 1988, 217, 825 ha were treated with herbicide for forest management purposes in Canada. Ontario treated the largest absolute number of hectares but New Brunswick had the highest intensity of treatment in terms of percentage of productive forest, cutover or planted area treated. Seventy-six percent of the herbicide was applied aerially. Eighty-five percent was for release. Forest managers across Canada have identified a number of gaps in herbicide technology including the need for: alternatives to herbicides, demonstration areas for the public, assessment methodology, long-term cost/benefit analysis, more information on effects on wildlife habitat, and aerial navigation aids.

On the risk of systematic drift under incoherent hierarchical forest management planning

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 480-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Paradis ◽  
Luc LeBel ◽  
Sophie D'Amours ◽  
Mathieu Bouchard
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
System State ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Wood Supply ◽  
Forest Management Planning ◽  
Planning Processes ◽  
Game Theoretic

In theory, linkages between hierarchical forest management planning levels ensure coherent disaggregation of long-term wood supply allocation as input for short-term demand-driven harvest planning. In practice, these linkages may be ineffective, and solutions produced may be incoherent in terms of volume and value-creation potential of harvested timber. Systematic incoherence between planned and implemented forest management activities may induce drift of forest system state (i.e., divergence of planned and actual system state trajectories), thus compromising credibility and performance of the forest management planning process. We describe hierarchical forest management from a game-theoretic perspective and present an iterative two-phase model simulating interaction between long- and short-term planning processes. Using an illustrative case study, we confirm the existence of a systematic drift effect, which we attribute to ineffective linkages between long- and short-term planning. In several simulated scenarios, the planning process fails to ensure long-term wood supply sustainability, fails to reliably meet industrial fiber demand over time, and exacerbates incoherence between wood supply and fiber demand over several planning iterations. We show that manipulating linkages between long- and short-term planning processes can reduce incoherence and describe future work on game-theoretic planning process model formulations that may improve hierarchical planning process performance.

Review of herbicide use for forest management in Alberta, 1995–2009

2012 ◽  
Vol 88 (03) ◽  
pp. 328-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milo Mihajlovich ◽  
Sonya Odsen ◽  
Daniel Chicoine
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Risk Identification ◽  
Quantitative Prediction ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Forest Management Planning ◽  
Initial Learning ◽  
Herbicide Use

This report reviews herbicide use for forest management purposes in Alberta between 1995 and 2009. Data for this review are drawn from the National Forestry Database, Government of Alberta records, anecdotal review of herbicide activities from participants, and the published literature. Alberta moved toward operational use of herbicides for forest management in a carefully monitored, step-wise process, with full adoption occurring in 2001–2002. Stakeholder engagement processes and the development of operational guidelines for risk identification and mitigation are described. A metric (Herbicide Excursion Intensity) has been developed and used to assess risk identification and mitigation efficiency independent of extent of herbicide use. Review of the temporal trends in this metric demonstrates that identification and mitigation of this element of risk associated with forest herbicide use in Alberta has been generally successful following initial learning experiences. Factors contributing to Alberta’s success in risk mitigation are: use of helicopters for all aerial application of forestry herbicides, adoption of drift control (AccuFlow™) nozzles, and quantitative prediction of spray cloud behavior in the Ag-Drift and SprayAdvisor models allowing gaming of weather conditions, buffer widths and nozzles to develop integrated risk mitigation processes. The report provides several recommendations, including the development of a Vegetation Management Strategy, to more explicitly link forest herbicide use with forest management planning.

scholarly journals Technical considerations in the design of core habitat patches in forest management: A case study using the Patchworks spatial model

2008 ◽  
Vol 84 (5) ◽  
pp. 731-740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Moore ◽  
Greg Tink
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Spatial Model ◽  
Spatial Models ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Spatial Modelling ◽  
Core Area ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Forest Management Planning ◽  
Core Habitat ◽  
Core Requirements

Incorporation of core area requirements into forest management plans is a requirement in many provinces and for many forest certification systems. The purpose of this paper is to consider how core requirements might be addressed using spatial models and mapping tools, and to assess how well these tools work in practice. To meet these objectives, we applied the spatial model Patchworks to real data representing a portion of a very large forest management unit in northern Ontario, the Gordon Cosens Forest. Three different sets of simulations were conducted to explore the ability of the spatial model to identify core areas, to identify technical challenges, and the means to resolve them. Key words: core area, forest management planning, Patchworks, spatial modelling

scholarly journals Patching together the future of forest modelling: Implementing a spatial model in the 2009 Romeo Malette Forest Management Plan

2008 ◽  
Vol 84 (5) ◽  
pp. 718-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Rouillard ◽  
Tom Moore
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Decision Support System ◽  
Support System ◽  
Spatial Modelling ◽  
Planning Team ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Forest Management Planning ◽  
Modelling Process

We describe a pilot project on the Romeo Malette Forest in northeastern Ontario that used a spatially explicit strategic model as an element of the hierarchical modelling process used in forest management planning. We integrated 2 different and slightly overlapping modelling tools, the traditional aspatial Strategic Forest Management Model (SFMM) and the newer spatial Patchworks model, to form a comprehensive decision support system for planning. Results from the conventional modelling approach using only SFMM served as comparison. The pilot project’s goals included satisfying Ontario’s rigorous planning and public consultation requirements, addressing technical issues associated with using 2 separate models, and engaging planning team members in the decision-making process. Implementation of a new technology (spatial modelling) into a highly regulated organizational process presented the planning team with a series of challenges. For example, the higher resolution of the data used for the Patchworks model and changes in conventional concepts and procedures required that the planning team adjust and adapt its approach. One clear advantage of the combined approach was that the long-term effects of spatial and operational adjustments, such as landscape-level policies or harvest block deferrals, were evaluated comprehensively and immediately, leading to greater confidence that the forecast outcomes are sustainable. The hierarchical-spatial modelling process used in this pilot provides a significant improvement to forest management planning and results in improved confidence in the overall sustainability of the long-term management direction. The lessons learned have provided a base for future planning teams to take advantage of the many benefits of a decision support system that includes spatial modelling. Key words: forest management planning, spatial modelling, decision support, Patchworks

Forest management strategies for dealing with fire-related uncertainty when managing two forest seral stages

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 309-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Savage ◽  
David L. Martell ◽  
B. Mike Wotton
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Simulation Model ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Planning Model ◽  
Minimum Area ◽  
Forest Management Planning ◽  
Planning Models

Ecological values are an important aspect of sustainable forest management, but little attention has been paid to maintaining these values when using traditional linear programming (LP) forest management planning models in uncertain planning environments. We embedded an LP planning model that specifies when and how much to harvest in a simulation model of a “managed” flammable forest landscape. The simulation model was used to evaluate two strategies for dealing with fire-related uncertainty when managing mature and old forest areas. The two seral stage areas were constrained in the LP planning model to a minimum of 10% of the total forest area and the strategies were evaluated under four representative fire regimes. We also developed a risk analysis tool that can be used by forest managers that wish to incorporate fire-related uncertainty in their decision-making. We found that use of the LP model would reduce the areas of the mature and old forest to their lower bound and fire would further reduce the seral areas below those levels, particularly when the mean annual burn fraction exceeds 0.45% per annum. Increasing the minimum area required (i.e., the right-hand side of the constraint) would increase the likelihood of satisfying the minimum area requirements.

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