Preindustrial reconstruction of a perhumid midboreal landscape, Anticosti Island, Quebec

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 928-942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Barrette ◽  
Louis Bélanger ◽  
Louis De Grandpré
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Dynamics ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Dynamics Model ◽  
Disturbance Dynamics ◽  
Cyclic Model ◽  
Anticosti Island

The knowledge of natural disturbance dynamics and preindustrial landscapes is essential to implement sustainable forest management. Recent findings identify the lack of a forest dynamics model, different from the standard cyclic model of Baskerville (1975. For. Chron. 51: 138–140), for balsam fir ( Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) ecosystems of maritime eastern Canada. With the use of historical forest maps and dendrochronology, we reconstructed the range of variability of the preindustrial landscape (6798 km2) and inferred on the natural disturbance dynamics of the balsam fir forest of Anticosti Island. The preindustrial landscape was characterized by a forest matrix of overmature softwood stands with inclusions of younger softwood stands ranging from 0.1 to 7837 ha in size. Widespread stand-initiating events were apparently rare in the preindustrial landscape over the last 160 years. Since our results were not well represented by the cyclic model, which predicts the occurrence of a mosaic of stands in different age classes, we proposed an alternative forest dynamics model for eastern balsam fir ecosystems near the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Forest management inspired by this alternative model may be more appropriate to maintain or restore ecological characteristics of balsam fir forests of this region within their range of natural variability.

scholarly journals Synthesizing knowledge of the Claybelt to promote sustainable forest management

2002 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
pp. 665-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Lefort ◽  
B Harvey ◽  
J Parton ◽  
G KM Smith
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Engineering Research ◽  
Forestry Practices ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Forest Practices

A review of the scientific literature relevant to the Claybelt region was undertaken under the initiative of Lake Abitibi Model Forest (LAMF) and in collaboration with the Canadian Forest Service, the Ontario and Quebec Ministries of Natural Resources and the NSERC-UQAT-UQAM (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council – Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue – Université du Québec à Montréal) Industrial Chair in Sustainable forest Management. The objective was to synthesize this information in order to develop better forestry practices and identify knowledge and research gaps. Forestry-related knowledge was gathered on six broad topics: i) natural disturbances, ii) forest ecosystems, iii) past and present forest practices, iv) biological diversity, v) forest management and vi) examples of current applications of natural disturbance-based forest management. The work allowed us to synthesize a large body of knowledge into one publication that will be a useful reference for foresters in both provinces. Key words: biodiversity, Claybelt, even-aged/uneven-aged forests, fire, silvicultural practices

Past, current, and future fire frequencies in Quebec's commercial forests: implications for the cumulative effects of harvesting and fire on age-class structure and natural disturbance-based management

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (11) ◽  
pp. 2737-2744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yves Bergeron ◽  
Dominic Cyr ◽  
C Ronnie Drever ◽  
Mike Flannigan ◽  
Sylvie Gauthier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Ecological Functions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Class Distribution ◽  
Age Class ◽  
If Current ◽  
In Fire

The past decade has seen an increasing interest in forest management based on historical or natural disturbance dynamics. The rationale is that management that favours landscape compositions and stand structures similar to those found historically should also maintain biodiversity and essential ecological functions. In fire-dominated landscapes, this approach is feasible only if current and future fire frequencies are sufficiently low compared with the preindustrial fire frequency, so a substitution of fire by forest management can occur without elevating the overall frequency of disturbance. We address this question by comparing current and simulated future fire frequency based on 2 × CO2 and 3 × CO2 scenarios to historical reconstructions of fire frequency in the commercial forests of Quebec. For most regions, current and simulated future fire frequencies are lower than the historical fire frequency, suggesting that forest management could potentially be used to maintain or recreate the age-class distribution of fire-dominated preindustrial landscapes. Current even-aged management, however, tends to reduce forest variability by, for example, truncating the natural age-class distribution and eliminating mature and old-growth forests from the landscape. Therefore, in the context of sustainable forest management, silvicultural techniques that retain a spectrum of forest compositions and structures at different scales are necessary to maintain this variability and thereby allow a substitution of fire by harvesting.

Winter habitat selection by white-tailed deer on Anticosti Island 2: relationship between deer density from an aerial survey and the proportion of balsam fir forest on vegetation maps

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 671-676 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Potvin ◽  
Barry Boots
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Management ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Window Size ◽  
Aerial Survey ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Deer Density ◽  
Vegetation Maps ◽  
Anticosti Island ◽  
The Relationship

Determining at what scale to operate and how much cover is needed are important questions for winter habitat management of white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780), through logging. We used binary cover maps (reclassified forest vegetation maps) and windows of different sizes (0.2 km × 0.2 km, 0.5 km × 0.5 km, 1 km × 1 km, 2 km × 2 km, and 3 km × 3 km) to describe the relationship between deer density from an aerial survey and the proportion of balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) P. Mill., forest (BF) cover in a 270-km2 block on Anticosti Island, Quebec. Maximum white-tailed deer densities reached were quite similar (31–34 deer/km2) irrespective of window size, except for the 3 km × 3 km window for which maximum density remained half lower. Density increased with the amount of BF cover and then reached a plateau above 60% or 70% (two smaller windows) or decreased above 50% or 60% (1 km × 1 km and 2 km × 2 km windows). Results confirm goals previously used for habitat management of deeryards. This new method allows greater flexibility in research applications for describing density–cover relationships because both scale and proportion of cover can be analysed simultaneously.

Windthrow and growth response following a spruce budworm inspired, variable retention harvest in New Brunswick, Canada

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 659-666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward A. Wilson ◽  
David A. MacLean
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Growth Response ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Growth Release ◽  
Variable Retention ◽  
Variable Retention Harvest

Forest management regimes increasingly focus on the emulation of natural disturbance events, e.g., fire or insect outbreaks, to help increase ecosystem sustainability. We determined the residual stand response to a variable retention harvest inspired by spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens)) outbreaks in New Brunswick, Canada. Our objectives were to analyze the differences between surviving residual trees and those that succumbed to windthrow and to quantify growth release. The treatment was based on harvesting the estimated spruce budworm outbreak mortality, i.e., 90% of mature balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill., 60% of mature spruce (Picea spp.), and no hardwoods. Windthrow increased with the proportion of trees harvested and averaged 52% over 7–9 years in these stands with high balsam fir – spruce content. One-third of 42 harvested plots sustained >30% windthrow, whereas 73% of 11 similar unharvested plots had <10% windthrow. Balsam fir had higher windthrow than spruce at 53% and 41%, respectively. Windthrown balsam fir trees had significantly larger diameters at breast height (DBH, 1.3 m), larger heights, and smaller crown ratios than surviving residual trees. Substantial growth release occurred, with DBH increment of residual trees 48%–64% greater than trees in unharvested plots. Balsam fir and intolerant hardwoods exhibited the largest growth response. We suggest that future spruce budworm inspired harvests in stands with high balsam fir – spruce content use two or three entries about 5 years apart to reduce windthrow.

Using knowledge of natural disturbances to support sustainable forest management in the northern Clay Belt

2007 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yves Bergeron ◽  
Pierre Drapeau ◽  
Sylvie Gauthier ◽  
Nicolas Lecomte
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Landscape Patterns ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Natural Disturbances ◽  
Natural Fire ◽  
Coarse Filter

Several concepts are at the basis of forest ecosystem management, but a relative consensus exists around the idea of a forest management approach that is based on natural disturbances and forest dynamics. This type of approach aims to reproduce the main attributes of natural landscapes in order to maintain ecosystems within their natural range of variability and avoid creating an environment to which species are not adapted. By comparing attributes associated with natural fire regimes and current forest management, we were able to identify four major differences for the black spruce forest of the Clay Belt. The maintenance of older forests, the spatial extent of cutover areas, the maintenance of residuals within cutovers and disturbance severity on soils are major issues that should be addressed. Silvicultural strategies that mitigate differences between natural and managed forests are briefly discussed. Key words: natural disturbance, landscape patterns, coarse filter, harvest pattern, volume retention, historic variability, even-aged management

What is the “END” (emulation of natural disturbance) in forest ecosystem management? An open question

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 2159-2168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Klenk ◽  
Gary Bull ◽  
Dave Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Ecosystem ◽  
Mental Model ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Forest Ecosystem Management ◽  
Open Question ◽  
Qualitative Analyses ◽  
Promising Avenue

The emulation of natural disturbance (END) is said to be the most promising avenue for implementing sustainable forest management; however, there appears to be no consensus as to the meaning of the END. We have interviewed forest scientists across Canada and, with the use of mental models and network textual analyses, created a shared mental model of the END. Results from both quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest that there are contrasting and contradictory views about the meaning of the END, which raise serious implications for the use of the END in policy making.

Effects of precommercial thinning on the forest value chain in northwestern New Brunswick: Part 3 – Incidence of root and butt decay

2013 ◽  
Vol 89 (04) ◽  
pp. 464-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Warren ◽  
Patricia Baines ◽  
Jean Plamondon ◽  
Doug G. Pitt
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Stem Form ◽  
Green River ◽  
Precommercial Thinning ◽  
Permanent Sample Plots ◽  
Butt Rot

The Green River precommercial thinning (PCT) trials were established between 1959 and 1961 in naturally regenerating balsam fir (Abies balsamea [L.] Mill.)-dominated stands an average of eight years after overstory removal. Three nominal spacings of 4 ft (1.2 m), 6 ft (1.8 m) and 8 ft (2.4 m) were compared to an unthinned control in six replicate blocks. In the fall of 2008, following completion of the ninth sequential evaluation of the study’s 48 permanent sample plots, three of the six replicates were clearcut harvested; butt rot data were collected immediately afterwards. To date, forest management research and goals have focused on the benefits of PCT, such as increased tree size and merchantable volume, shorter rotation ages, and better stem form and uniformity. Comparatively little attention has been placed on negative aspects of PCT, such as the incidence and development of root and butt rots, and their impact on fibre yields and wood product values. Results from the Green River study provide evidence that PCT may increase the incidence of butt rot in balsam fir, with incidence proportional to thinning intensity (p < 0.01). We also observed incidence and volume of butt rot to increase with stem diameter (p ≤ 0.05). The experiment suggests that factors such as stand age at time of thinning, and age at the time of harvest are important considerations when it comes to mitigating the impacts of butt rot through forest management.

Fifty years of forest dynamics following diameter-limit cuttings in balsam fir – yellow birch stands of the Lower St. Lawrence region, Quebec

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (11) ◽  
pp. 2745-2755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Archambault ◽  
Claude Delisle ◽  
Guy R Larocque ◽  
Luc Sirois ◽  
Pierre Belleau
Keyword(s):  
Forest Dynamics ◽  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Betula Alleghaniensis ◽  
Yellow Birch ◽  
Cover Type ◽  
Advance Regeneration ◽  
Observation Area ◽  
Winter Logging

The long-term effects of high-intensity diameter-limit cuttings conducted in the winter and summer of the 1940s and 1950s on the dynamics of softwood and mixedwood stands in southeastern Quebec were compared. Changes in composition and stand structure over a 50 year period were studied using 18 permanent sample plots located in the Lac-Métis Seigneury observation area measured in 1950, 1960, 1970, and 2003. Winter logging operations were conducted between 1942 and 1949, and summer logging operations were conducted between 1958 and 1960. The interaction between cuttings and the 1950s and 1970s spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens)) outbreaks that occurred in the area affected forest dynamics. For the two logging operation types, the most abundant softwood species observed before logging and in 2003 was balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), whereas white birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) were the most abundant hardwood species. Changes in the overstory composition were more significant in the summer logging operations than in the winter ones. The softwood cover type observed before winter logging was maintained in 2003. Following summer logging, an important increase in the proportion of birch species was observed. The softwood cover type observed before logging had changed to a mixedwood cover type by 2003. Forest dynamics differences between the two types of logging were the result of interactions between the density and composition of advance regeneration, the microsite conditions after logging, and the length and severity of spruce budworm outbreaks.

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