Abstract
Human activities have changed forest composition of northeastern North America since European settlement by increasing the importance of pioneer shade-intolerant species, at the expense of shade-tolerant and long-lived species. This study used tree taxa lists from land survey archives (1842–1935) to document the pre-settlement forest composition in a heavily transformed region at the temperate-boreal interface in eastern Quebec (Canada). Pre-settlement forests were dominated by a spruce-fir-white birch assemblage. Two additional assemblages were characterized by high relative frequency of the fire-adapted jack pine and poplar, suggesting that fire was an important factor of pre-settlement forest dynamics. Comparison with modern forest inventories (1980–2010) showed that trembling aspen, jack pine and red maple increased to the detriment of spruce, yellow birch, and white and red pines. The spruce-fir-white birch assemblage is now confined to high elevations and steep slopes, while the jack pine assemblage has extended its distribution and strengthen its association with sandy deposits. Surveyors’ fire observations revealed a high fire activity during the settlement period (1842–1971) and human ignitions were probably the predominant cause. While settlement fires are a likely explanation for the post-settlement increase of jack pine and trembling aspen, industrial logging and land clearing are important factors that could explain the decline of spruce and pines (red and white). Ecosystem-based forest management should aim to increase spruce frequency and dominance over disturbance-adapted (shade intolerant and fast-growing) species, and to restore yellow birch, cedar, white, and red pines in the plains sector where forest transformation has been the most important.
Highlights
Forests of northeastern North America have undergone major transformations since European settlement
While our ability to reduce gaps between pre-settlement and modern forest composition could become unrealistic under severe climate forcing (Boulanger et al, 2019), understanding how forests have been transformed by human activities can help make forests more resilient to future disturbances and climate change (Millar and Stephenson, 2015; Johnstone et al, 2016) as well as to restore functional targets
Since the mean relative frequency was high for balsam fir, and very low for poplar and jack pine, the disturbance regime governing this assemblage was probably characterized by forest openings created by windthrow and spruce budworm outbreaks (Kneeshaw and Bergeron, 1999; Bergeron, 2000; Lesieur et al, 2002), along with occasional fires
Summary
Forests of northeastern North America have undergone major transformations since European settlement. Knowledge of forest composition and natural disturbances prior to European settlement can provide targets for ecosystembased management and restoration of forest ecosystems (Landres et al, 1999; Gauthier et al, 2009). This is important in heavily transformed regions where unmanaged forests no longer exist. While our ability to reduce gaps between pre-settlement and modern forest composition could become unrealistic under severe climate forcing (Boulanger et al, 2019), understanding how forests have been transformed by human activities can help make forests more resilient to future disturbances and climate change (Millar and Stephenson, 2015; Johnstone et al, 2016) as well as to restore functional targets. Growth rate, longevity and shade tolerance of pre-settlement species could be considered, regardless of strict species identity, in order to maintain or restore ecosystem function
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