Changes in the understory of Canadian southern boreal forest after fire

Abstract

Abstract. We investigated changes in the composition and abundance of understory species after fire in the southern boreal forest around Lake Duparquet, Québec. Ten plots of 100 m2 were sampled in each of eight sites varying in post‐fire age from 26 to 230 yr, with 20 1‐m2 quadrats in each of these 80 plots. Variation in the understory was described by DCA ordination and interpreted as a regeneration succession series. Thickness of the organic layers, stand age and canopy composition were all correlated with vegetational change. This change was not constant throughout succession; some old sites showed an increase in the diversity and abundance of certain pioneer species. This was partly related to openings in the canopy resulting from a major outbreak of spruce budworm, which affected sites dominated by Abies balsamea. The ordinations were performed on both the 100‐m2 plots and the 1‐m2 quadrats. Heterogeneity within sites was larger at the 1‐m2 scale and there was a great deal of overlap in the position of the quadrats in ordination space. At the smaller scale of analysis, stand age and thickness of the organic layers were not correlated with the changes observed in the understory.