Abstract
Large primary forest residuals can still be found in boreal landscapes. Their areas are however shrinking rapidly due to anthropogenic activities, in particular industrial-scale forestry. The impacts of logging activities on primary boreal forests may also strongly differ from those of wildfires, the dominant stand-replacing natural disturbance in these forests. Since industrial-scale forestry is driven by economic motives, there is a risk that stands of higher economic value will be primarily harvested, thus threatening habitats, and functions related to these forests. Hence, the objective of this study was to identify the main attributes differentiating burned and logged stands prior to disturbance in boreal forests. The study territory lies in the coniferous and closed-canopy boreal forest in Québec, Canada, where industrial-scale logging and wildfire are the two main stand-replacing disturbances. Based on Québec government inventories of primary forests, we identified 427 transects containing about 5.5 circular field plots/transect that were burned or logged shortly after being surveyed, between 1985 and 2016. Comparative analysis of the main structural and environmental attributes of these transects highlighted the strong divergence in the impact of fire and harvesting on primary boreal forests. Overall, logging activities mainly harvested forests with the highest economic value, while most burned stands were low to moderately productive or recently disturbed. These results raise concerns about the resistance and resilience of remnant primary forests within managed areas, particularly in a context of disturbance amplification due to climate change. Moreover, the majority of the stands studied were old-growth forests, characterized by a high ecological value but also highly threatened by anthropogenic disturbances. A loss in the diversity and functionality of primary forests, and particularly the old-growth forests, therefore adds to the current issues related to these ecosystems. Since 2013, the study area is under ecosystem-based management, which implies that there have been marked changes in forestry practices. Complementary research will be necessary to assess the capacity of ecosystem-based management to address the challenges identified in our study.
Highlights
Human-induced climate change, large-scale biodiversity loss and the global disappearance of intact ecosystems are major challenges faced by humanity in the 21st century (Steffen et al, 2015; IPCC, 2018; Watson et al, 2018a)
We found in the study area the opposite trend, probably because the topography of the boreal landscapes of eastern Canada is relatively smooth and a slightly steeper slope improve stand productivity due to a better drainage (Martin et al, 2018; Laamrani and Valeria, 2020)
This study is the first to give a general overview of the impact of more than 30 years of industrial-scale forest management on primary, generally old-growth, boreal forests at the scale of the bioclimatic domain in Eastern Canada
Summary
Human-induced climate change, large-scale biodiversity loss and the global disappearance of intact ecosystems are major challenges faced by humanity in the 21st century (Steffen et al, 2015; IPCC, 2018; Watson et al, 2018a). Emphasis has been placed over recent decades on management approaches closer to natural dynamics to ensure the sustainable management of forest ecosystems (Kuuluvainen, 2002; Gauthier et al, 2009; Puettmann et al, 2009). In this context, primary forests are models to be studied thoroughly to develop relevant management models capable of addressing contemporary challenges
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
