A conceptual model of biotic disturbance ecology in the central interior of B.C.: How forest management can turn Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde

2000 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy J. Lewis ◽  
B. Staffan Lindgren
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Disturbance Ecology ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Main Driver ◽  
Biotic Disturbance ◽  
Forested Ecosystems

In forested ecosystems, insects and pathogens play an important role in ecosystem function, and there is increasing evidence that these organisms are primary determinants of forest structure and composition. Recent research has confirmed this even in sub-boreal forests, where fire was traditionally thought to be the major agent of disturbance and hence the main driver of successional processes. This paper presents a conceptual model of biotic disturbance ecology in sub-boreal forests of central B.C. We also describe how forest management practices can lead to forest health problems by disrupting these ecological processes, and the natural population dynamics of insects and pathogens. Key words: disturbance ecology, succession, forest pest, sub-boreal, forest management, forest health

Forest Management In Mongolia – A Review Of Challenges And Lessons Learned With Special Reference To Degradation And Deforestation

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Gradel ◽  
Gerelbaatar Sukhbaatar ◽  
Daniel Karthe ◽  
Hoduck Kang
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Hydrological Regime ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Driven System ◽  
The Status

The natural conditions, climate change and socio-economic challenges related to the transformation from a socialistic society towards a market-driven system make the implementation of sustainable land management practices in Mongolia especially complicated. Forests play an important role in land management. In addition to providing resources and ecosystem functions, Mongolian forests protect against land degradation.We conducted a literature review of the status of forest management in Mongolia and lessons learned, with special consideration to halting deforestation and degradation. We grouped our review into seven challenges relevant to developing regionally adapted forest management systems that both safeguard forest health and consider socio-economic needs. In our review, we found that current forest management in Mongolia is not always sustainable, and that some practices lack scientific grounding. An overwhelming number of sources noticed a decrease in forest area and quality during the last decades, although afforestation initiatives are reported to have increased. We found that they have had, with few exceptions, only limited success. During our review, however, we found a number of case studies that presented or proposed promising approaches to (re-)establishing and managing forests. These studies are further supported by a body of literature that examines how forest administration, and local participation can be modified to better support sustainable forestry. Based on our review, we conclude that it is necessary to integrate capacity development and forest research into holistic initiatives. A special focus should be given to the linkages between vegetation cover and the hydrological regime.

scholarly journals Economic and ecological trade-off analysis of forest ecosystems: options for boreal forests

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 348-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Si Chen ◽  
Chander Shahi ◽  
Han Y.H. Chen
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Ecosystem ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Ecological Functions ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Trade Offs

Intensive forest management practices for production forestry can potentially impact the sustainability of ecological functions and associated forest ecosystem services. Understanding the trade-offs between economic gains and ecological losses is critical for the sustainable management of forest resources. However, economic and ecological trade-offs are typically uncertain, vary at temporal and spatial scales, and are difficult to measure. Moreover, the methods used to quantify economic and ecological trade-offs might have conflicting priorities. We reviewed the most current published literature related to trade-off analysis between economic gains and sustainability of forest ecosystem functions and associated services, and we found that most economic and ecological trade-offs studies were conducted in tropical and temperate forests, with few having their focus on boreal forests. Analytical methods of these published studies included monetary valuation, biophysical models, optimization programming, production possibility frontier, and multi-objective optimization. This review has identified the knowledge gaps in the understanding and measurement of the economic and ecological trade-offs for the sustainable management of boreal forests. While it remains uncertain how economic activities might best maintain and support multiple ecological functions and associated services in the boreal forests, which are susceptible to climate change and disturbances, we propose the use of optimization methods employing multiple objectives. For any tool to provide sustainable and optimal forest management solutions, we propose that appropriate and robust data must be collected and analyzed.

Forest health in boreal ecosystems of Alaska

1996 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Werner
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Management ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Boreal Ecosystems ◽  
Complex Issue ◽  
Pest Outbreaks ◽  
Forest Ecosystem Management

Deteriorating forest health is causing unprecedented damage to the boreal forests of Alaska. Forest health is a complex issue that must be addressed within the context of ecosystem management and the goal of managing ecosystems for long-term productivity and maintaining ecosystems that will sustain biodiversity and provide desired values, products and uses. Instead of treating symptoms, forests must be managed to be more resistant to pest outbreaks through proper ecosystem management. Forest health can be addressed through short-term tactical approaches and long-term strategies. Management practices must match the ecological capabilities of each site in order to create and maintain healthy forests. This is the focus of ecosystem management. Key words: forest health, boreal forest, ecosystem management

Third Millennium Forestry: What climate change might mean to forests and forest management in Ontario

2000 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
William C. Parker ◽  
Stephen J. Colombo ◽  
Marilyn L. Cherry ◽  
Sylvia Greifenhagen ◽  
Chris Papadopol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Net Primary Production ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Intensive Forest Management ◽  
Precipitation Regimes ◽  
Third Millennium ◽  
Key Aspects

Climate change may profoundly influence Ontario's forest ecosystems and their management. Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations, increased temperature and altered precipitation regimes will affect forest vegetation through their influence on physiological (e.g., photosynthesis, respiration) and ecological processes (e.g., net primary production, decomposition), and may result in dramatic northward shifts in the natural range of forest types and species. More importantly, climate change is expected to increase the frequency of natural disturbances. Silvicultural intervention will increasingly be relied on to maintain forest health, manage declining stands, regenerate disturbed areas and cutovers with desired species and genotypes, maintain genetic diversity, and assist in species migration. Given the increasingly important role of Ontario's forests in national and provincial efforts to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction targets of the Kyoto Protocol, afforestation, conservation of existing forests, and increased forest management activities to accelerate the storage of carbon in Ontario's forests will be key aspects of forestry at the start of the third millennium. Key words: adaptation, afforestation, bioenergy, carbon dioxide, climate change, disturbance, intensive forest management, migration, mitigation, sequestration, succession

scholarly journals The Decline of the Clearcut: 26 Years of Change in Silvicultural Practices and Implications in Minnesota

2020 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 244-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A Windmuller-Campione ◽  
M B Russell ◽  
E Sagor ◽  
A W D’Amato ◽  
A R Ek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Forest Industry ◽  
Organizational Policy ◽  
Forest Management Practices ◽  
And Shifts ◽  
Forest Lands ◽  
Forest Managers

Abstract Silvicultural decisions and forest-management practices in Minnesota represent the collaboration and partnership between forest managers from multiple organizations and forest researchers. To better understand current practices, trends, needs, and opportunities, Minnesota has invested in the collection of quantitative data on the application of silvicultural systems and forest-management activities in 1991, 1996, 2008, and 2017. Drawing on those data, the goal of our study is to summarize 26 years of data to characterize and quantify trends in forest-management practices. During this period of time, timberland ownership (acres) has increased, whereas harvested volume has decreased (cords). Across state, federal, county, forest industry, and tribal forest lands, which collectively represent the majority of timberlands in Minnesota, the clearcut system decreased from 91% of the harvested area in 1991 to 72 percent in 2017. In contrast, the proportion of total harvested area as part of shelterwood, seed tree, selection, and thinning treatments all more than doubled from 1991 to 2017. Factors influencing the changes relate to forest health and diseases, shifts in ownership structure, and shifts in organizational policy and/or goals. The factors identified mirror many of the trends forest managers are experiencing in other regions, nationally and internationally.

scholarly journals Forest management to increase carbon sequestration in boreal Pinus sylvestris forests

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina Jörgensen ◽  
Gustaf Granath ◽  
Björn D. Lindahl ◽  
Joachim Strengbom
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Pinus Sylvestris ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
C Stocks ◽  
C Stock ◽  
Natural Climate

Abstract Background and aims Forest management towards increased carbon (C) sequestration has repeatedly been suggested as a “natural climate solution”. We evaluated the potential of altered management to increase C sequestration in boreal Pinus sylvestris forest plantations. Methods At 29 forest sites, distributed along a 1300 km latitudinal gradient in Sweden, we studied interactive effects of fertilization and thinning on accumulation of C in standing biomass and the organic horizon over a 40 year period. Results Abstention from thinning increased the total C stock by 50% on average. The increase was significant (14% on average) even when C in the removed timber was included in the total ecosystem C pool. Fertilization of thinned stands increased stocks similarly regardless of including (11%) or excluding (12%) removed biomass, and fertilization combined with abstention from thinning had a synergistic effect on C stocks that generated an increase of 79% (35% when removed timber was included in the C stock). A positive effect of fertilization on C stocks was observed along the entire gradient but was greater in relative terms at high latitudes. Fertilization also reduced soil respiration rates. Conclusion Taken together, our results suggest that changed forest management practices have major potential to increase the C sink of boreal forests. Although promising, these benefits should be evaluated against the undesired effects that such management can have on economic revenue, timber quality, biodiversity and delivery of other ecosystem services.

National circumstances in the international circumboreal community

2007 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A Wulder ◽  
Celina Campbell ◽  
Joanne C White ◽  
Mike Flannigan ◽  
Ian D Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Area ◽  
Private Ownership ◽  
Natural Disturbances ◽  
Climate History ◽  
Publicly Owned

Boreal forest nations are often thought to have similar environmental, social, and economic contexts. In this communication we show that boreal forest nations are a disparate grouping, with some similarities and many differences. Highlighting these differing national contexts provides insights into how a given nation utilizes the boreal forests over which it holds stewardship responsibilities. Current national contexts are related to each nation's physiography, climate, history, legacy of past forest management, the timing of transition from natural to plantation forests, population density and distribution, and access to resources and markets. Boreal forests are dominated by pioneer species that are resilient to disturbance and have a demonstrated ability to adapt to past climate changes. National responses to natural disturbances are linked to forest area, ownership, and management intensity. Boreal forests in large nations (e.g., Canada, Russian Federation) are typically publicly owned, and disturbances such as fire are allowed to progress naturally over remote areas. In smaller nations, where there is often a greater proportion of private ownership and a focus on production forestry, natural disturbances are more aggressively controlled (e.g., Sweden, Finland). Large nations with low boreal human population densities have a greater proportion of natural boreal forest, with relatively higher levels of biodiversity when compared to the fully managed forests of some smaller boreal nations. In smaller nations, the combination of limited forest area and private ownership has facilitated the dominance of intensive sustainable forestry management practices (e.g., Finland). Conversely, in nations with more spatially extensive forest assets that are publicly owned and managed to meet multiple objectives, extensive sustainable forest management practices dominate (e.g., Canada, Russian Federation). Key words: boreal forest, global, national circumstances, environmental, social, economic, forestry practices, Canada

Ethnosilvicultural knowledge: A promising foundation for integrating non-timber forest products into forest management

1970 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 55-58
Author(s):  
Krishna H Gautam ◽  
Teiji Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Multiple Roles ◽  
Product Management ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Non Timber Forest Products ◽  
Multiple Product ◽  
Forest Users

Reconciling the multiple roles of forest resources is one of the unresolved challenges for sustainable forestry, but forest management practices are still focussed on timber production. The urgent need for the integration of non-timber forest products into mainstream forestry has, however, been widely acknowledged. Ethnosilvicultural knowledge from Canadian Aboriginal communities and community forest users of Nepal is assessed in the context of multiple-product forest management. Both cases reveal a wealth of such knowledge, indicating the opportunities for integrating non-timber forest product management in mainstream forestry. It is argued that ethnosilviculture is valuable in sustaining ecological processes as well as cultural heritages and traditional rural livelihoods. Broad guidelines for acquiring ethnosilviculture knowledge are also suggested. Himalayan Journal of Sciences 2(3): 55-58, 2004

scholarly journals Smartforests Canada: A Network of Monitoring Plots for Forest Management Under Environmental Change

2021 ◽  
pp. 521-543
Author(s):  
Christoforos Pappas ◽  
Nicolas Bélanger ◽  
Yves Bergeron ◽  
Olivier Blarquez ◽  
Han Y. H. Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Growth Models ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Forested Ecosystems

AbstractMonitoring of forest response to gradual environmental changes or abrupt disturbances provides insights into how forested ecosystems operate and allows for quantification of forest health. In this chapter, we provide an overview of Smartforests Canada, a national-scale research network consisting of regional investigators who support a wealth of existing and new monitoring sites. The objectives of Smartforests are threefold: (1) establish and coordinate a network of high-precision monitoring plots across a 4400 km gradient of environmental and forest conditions, (2) synthesize the collected multivariate observations to examine the effects of global changes on complex above- and belowground forest dynamics and resilience, and (3) analyze the collected data to guide the development of the next-generation forest growth models and inform policy-makers on best forest management and adaptation strategies. We present the methodological framework implemented in Smartforests to fulfill the aforementioned objectives. We then use an example from a temperate hardwood Smartforests site in Quebec to illustrate our approach for climate-smart forestry. We conclude by discussing how information from the Smartforests network can be integrated with existing data streams, from within Canada and abroad, guiding forest management and the development of climate change adaptation strategies.

Ecosystem Management of the Boreal Forest

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timo Kuuluvainen
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Ecosystem Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
Natural Time ◽  
Large Trees

Boreal countries are rich in forest resources, and for their area, they produce a disproportionally large share of the lumber, pulp, and paper bound for the global market. These countries have long-standing strong traditions in forestry education and institutions, as well as in timber-oriented forest management. However, global change, together with evolving societal values and demands, are challenging traditional forest management approaches. In particular, plantation-type management, where wood is harvested with short cutting cycles relative to the natural time span of stand development, has been criticized. Such management practices create landscapes composed of mosaics of young, even-aged, and structurally homogeneous stands, with scarcity of old trees and deadwood. In contrast, natural forest landscapes are characterized by the presence of old large trees, uneven-aged stand structures, abundant deadwood, and high overall structural diversity. The differences between managed and unmanaged forests result from the fundamental differences in the disturbance regimes of managed versus unmanaged forests. Declines in managed forest biodiversity and structural complexity, combined with rapidly changing climatic conditions, pose a risk to forest health, and hence, to the long-term maintenance of biodiversity and provisioning of important ecosystem goods and services. The application of ecosystem management in boreal forestry calls for a transition from plantation-type forestry toward more diversified management inspired by natural forest structure and dynamics.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document