The response of boreal forest songbird communities to fire and post-fire harvesting

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (12) ◽  
pp. 2169-2183 ◽  
Author(s):  
J L Morissette ◽  
T P Cobb ◽  
R M Brigham ◽  
P C James
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Salvage Logging ◽  
The Impact

Post-fire timber harvesting (salvage logging) is becoming more prevalent as logging companies try to recover some of the economic losses caused by fire. Because salvaging is a relatively new practice and because of the common perception that burned areas are of little value to wildlife, few guidelines exist for salvaging operations. We surveyed birds in unburned and burned stands of jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), mixedwood, and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) to characterize the post-fire bird community in commercially important forest types. The effects of salvage logging were examined in mixedwood and jack pine. Using fixed-radius point counts, a total of 1430 individuals representing 51 species were detected during this study. Community analysis revealed that burned forests supported a distinct species assemblage of songbirds relative to unburned forests and that salvage logging significantly altered this community. An examination of guild composition showed that resident species, canopy and cavity nesters, and insectivores were the least likely to be detected in salvaged areas. Species less sensitive to salvage logging tended to be habitat generalists, omnivores, and species that nest on the ground or in shrubs. We suggest alternative management strategies that may help reduce the impact of salvage logging on the boreal forest songbird community.

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.

Nitrogen uptake characteristics for roots of conifer seedlings and common boreal forest competitor species

2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 156-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan D Hangs ◽  
J Diane Knight ◽  
Ken CJ Van Rees
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Calamagrostis Canadensis ◽  
Successional Species ◽  
Menten Kinetic

Little is known about the N uptake abilities of competitor species and planted seedlings in the boreal forest. The objective of this study was to determine the Michaelis–Menten kinetic parameters of NH4+ and NO3– for white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) seedlings, and three competitive common boreal forest early successional species: aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium L.), and cala magrostis (Calamagrostis canadensis (Michx.) Beauv.). Uptake kinetics were measured in hydroponic cultures and expressed as maximum uptake (Imax) and ion affinity (Km). The ranking of Imax values (pmol·cm-2·s–1) for NH4+ uptake was calamagrostis (84.6), fireweed (58.1), white spruce (20.7), aspen (12.5), and jack pine (10.9), and for NO3– uptake was calamagrostis (17.7), fireweed (12.5), aspen (5.8), white spruce (4.5), and jack pine (2.1). The ranking of Km values (µM) for NH4+ uptake was calamagrostis (125.9), fireweed (163.8), aspen (205.7), white spruce (217.1), and jack pine (270.5), and for NO3– uptake was calamagrostis (229.9), fireweed (274.6), aspen (336.5), white spruce (344.5), and jack pine (350.5). Calamagrostis exhibited the greatest uptake rates and affinity for NH4+ and NO3–, suggesting that silviculture practices that specifically reduce establishment of this grass should benefit the growth of planted seedlings.

A flexible approach for predicting and mapping postfire wood borer attacks in black spruce and jack pine forests using the differenced normalized burn ratio (dNBR)

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (9) ◽  
pp. 880-889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Boucher ◽  
Christian Hébert ◽  
Eric Bauce
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Continuous Variable ◽  
Burn Severity ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Salvage Logging ◽  
Differenced Normalized Burn Ratio ◽  
Normalized Burn Ratio ◽  
Wood Borer

Postfire salvage logging is used to reduce economic losses; however, burned trees are rapidly colonized by wood-boring insects, which reduce the merchantable value of the wood. This study aims to predict wood borer (Monochamus Megerle in Dejean, 1821) attacks after wildfire as a function of rapidly available variables such as tree basal area, stem diameter, and burn severity using the differenced normalized burn ratio (dNBR). In 2011, we sampled 60 black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb.) or jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) plots in five burns from 2010 in the Haute-Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada. A 50 cm bole section was debarked on seven trees in each plot to estimate wood borer attack density. Wood borer attacks were more abundant in black spruce than in jack pine. As a continuous variable, dNBR unveiled a quadratic effect of burn severity on attack density in black spruce, which was higher at moderate burn severity. In jack pine, the highest levels of attack density were found at high burn severity. Models produced in this article will help forest managers to better prioritize areas for salvage logging and thus reduce economic losses due to wood borer activity.

Investigating competitive interactions from spatial patterns of trees in multispecies boreal forests: the random mortality hypothesis revisited

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
L R Little
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Plant Competition ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Competitive Interactions ◽  
Trembling Aspen

Plant competition is expected to produce an overdispersed spatial pattern relative to the initial pattern of individuals. The spatial patterns of two boreal forest tree species, Populus tremuloides Michx. (trembling aspen) and Pinus banksiana Lamb. (jack pine), were examined for evidence of intraspecific and interspecific competition. Data consisting of species, position, and age of tree stems were obtained from a 21-year-old, 40 m × 30 m postfire area of boreal forest in northern Alberta, Canada. Tree stems were mapped and classified according to size (greater or less than 5 cm in diameter at ground height) and species. A variation on the random mortality hypothesis was used to detect overdispersed patterns indicative of competitive interactions. This was done by comparing the size of neighbouring stems with those expected when the size or "success" of a stem occurred randomly. The results showed roughly two scales of pattern. First, large seed-regenerating jack pine neighboured each other more often than expected, but jack pine and trembling aspen neighboured each other less than expected. Second, although the large jack pine appeared to be clustered as neighbours, they tended to associate at distances farther than expected. These results show little evidence of density-dependence patterns in the species at the site, and the interspecific association between jack pine and trembling aspen could be indicative of a heterogeneous habitat.Key words: triangulation, size variability, Pinus banksiana, Populus tremuloides, jack pine, trembling aspen.

Laboratory assessment of the effect of forest floor ash on conifer germination

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 822-826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin J. Kemball ◽  
A. Richard Westwood ◽  
G. Geoff Wang
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Laboratory Assessment ◽  
The Impact

Mineral soils exposed by fire are often covered by a layer of ash due to complete consumption of the forest floor (litter and duff). To assess the possible effects of ash on seed germination and viability of jack pine ( Pinus banksiana Lamb.), black spruce ( Picea mariana (Mill.) Britton, Sterns, Poggenb.), white spruce ( Picea glauca (Moench) Voss), and balsam fir ( Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), a laboratory experiment was conducted using ash derived from three types of forest floor samples. The samples represented areas of high conifer concentration, high aspen concentration, and mixed aspen and conifer and were collected from five mature aspen ( Populus tremuloides Michx.) – conifer mixedwood stands in southeastern Manitoba. Ash derived from each forest floor type neither prohibited nor delayed conifer germination, except that of balsam fir. Balsam fir had significantly less germination on ash derived from forest floor samples with high aspen concentration. When corrected for seed viability, balsam fir had significantly less germination on all three ash types compared with jack pine, black spruce, and white spruce. However, the impact of ash on balsam fir is unlikely to have meaningful ecological implications, as balsam fir is a climax species and will establish in undisturbed mature forests.

scholarly journals Taper Equations for Five Major Commercial Tree Species in Manitoba, Canada

2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 163-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan J. Klos ◽  
G. Geoff Wang ◽  
Qing-Lai Dang ◽  
Ed W. East
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Volume Estimation ◽  
Trembling Aspen ◽  
Stem Form ◽  
Taper Equation ◽  
Taper Equations

Abstract Kozak's variable exponent taper equation was fitted for balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera L.), trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench] Voss), black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] B.S.P.), and jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) in Manitoba. Stem taper variability between two ecozones (i.e., Boreal Shield and Boreal Plains) were tested using the F-test. Regional differences were observed for trembling aspen, white spruce, and jack pine, and for those species, separate ecozone-specific taper equations were developed. However, the gross total volume estimates using the ecozone-specific equations were different from those of the provincial equations by only 2 percent. Although the regional difference in stem form was marginal within a province, a difference of approximately 7 percent of gross total volume estimation was found when our provincial taper equations were compared with those developed in Alberta and Saskatchewan. These results suggest that stem form variation increases with spatial scale and that a single taper equation for each species may be sufficient for each province.

Short-term effects of cut-to-length versus full-tree harvesting on conifer regeneration in jack pine, mixedwood, and black spruce forests in Manitoba

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 1938-1945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isobel Waters ◽  
Steven W Kembel ◽  
Jean-François Gingras ◽  
Jennifer M Shay
Keyword(s):  
Picea Mariana ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
Understorey Vegetation ◽  
Advance Regeneration ◽  
The Impact

This study compares the effects of full-tree versus cut-to-length forest harvesting methods on tree regeneration in jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), mixedwood (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss – Populus tremuloides Michx. – Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), and black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) sites in southeastern Manitoba, Canada. We surveyed tree regeneration densities, disturbance characteristics, and understorey vegetation in replicated control and harvested plots in each site type preharvest (1993) and 1 and 3 years postharvest (1994, 1996). In jack pine sites, the full-tree harvest method promoted regeneration of Pinus banksiana through increased disturbance of soil and the moss layer, and decreased slash deposition relative to the cut-to-length method. Conversely, in mixedwood sites the cut-to-length method resulted in less damage to advance regeneration and proved better at promoting postharvest regeneration of Abies balsamea and Picea glauca relative to the full-tree method. In black spruce sites, there were few differences in the impact of the two harvesting methods on regeneration of Picea mariana, which increased in frequency and density after both types of harvesting.

scholarly journals Effects of pH and Mineral Nutrition on Growth and Physiological Responses of Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides), Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana), and White Spruce (Picea glauca) Seedlings in Sand Culture

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 682
Author(s):  
Feng Xu ◽  
Maryamsadat Vaziriyeganeh ◽  
Janusz J. Zwiazek
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Net Photosynthesis ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Sand Culture ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Trembling Aspen ◽  
High Ph

Responses of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), jack pine (Pinus banksiana), and white spruce (Picea glauca) seedlings to root zone pH ranging from 5 to 9 were studied in sand culture in the presence of two mineral nutrition levels. After eight weeks of treatments, effects of pH on plant dry weights varied between the plant species and were relatively minor in white spruce. Higher nutrient supply significantly increased dry weights only in trembling aspen subjected to pH 5 treatment. There was little effect of pH and nutrition level on net photosynthesis and transpiration rates in white spruce and jack pine, but net photosynthesis markedly declined in aspen at high pH. Chlorophyll concentrations in young foliage decreased the most in trembling aspen and jack pine. The effects of high pH treatments on the concentrations of Mg, P, Ca, Mn, Zn, and Fe in young foliage varied between the plant species with no significant decreases of Fe and Zn recorded in trembling aspen and white spruce, respectively. This was in contrast to earlier reports from the studies carried out in hydroponic culture. The sand culture system that we developed could be a more suitable alternative to hydroponics to study plant responses to pH in the root zone. Plant responses to high pH appear to involve complex events with a likely contribution of nutritional effects and altered water transport processes.

scholarly journals Jack Pine Regeneration Following Postcut Burning under Seed Trees in Central Saskatchewan

1988 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 315-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Chrosciewicz
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Forest Regeneration ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Pine Regeneration ◽  
Slash Burning

An experimental burn in conjunction with a seed-tree system was successful in regenerating jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) on a fresh to somewhat moist upland, loamy till, cutover site in central Saskatchewan. About 20 well-formed, uniformly spaced seed trees per hectare were left standing during timber harvest. The ignition of logging slash was carried out under preselected weather and fuel conditions so that favorable seedbeds and adequate seed dispersal from the seed trees were produced. Four growing seasons after burning, jack pine stocking by 4-m2 quadrats was 90% with 12 195 seedlings/ha. Aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), to a lesser degree black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] B.S.P.), and other companion tree species also regenerated with the pine. Various seedbed and regeneration characteristics as well as height growth rates are discussed. Key words: Pinus banksiana, slash burning, seed-tree system, forest regeneration, growth rates, central Saskatchewan.

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