Conservation Of Boreal Forests Research Articles

Edge influence on vegetation at natural and anthropogenic edges of boreal forests in Canada and Fennoscandia

Summary Although anthropogenic edges are an important consequence of timber harvesting, edges due to natural disturbances or landscape heterogeneity are also common. Forest edges have been well studied in temperate and tropical forests, but less so in less productive, disturbance‐adapted boreal forests. We synthesized data on forest vegetation at edges of boreal forests and compared edge influence among edge types (fire, cut, lake/wetland; old vs. young), forest types (broadleaf vs. coniferous) and geographic regions. Our objectives were to quantify vegetation responses at edges of all types and to compare the strength and extent of edge influence among different types of edges and forests. Research was conducted using the same general sampling design in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec in Canada, and in Sweden and Finland. We conducted a meta‐analysis for a variety of response variables including forest structure, deadwood abundance, regeneration, understorey abundance and diversity, and non‐vascular plant cover. We also determined the magnitude and distance of edge influence (DEI) using randomization tests. Some edge responses (lower tree basal area, tree canopy and bryophyte cover; more logs; higher regeneration) were significant overall across studies. Edge influence on ground vegetation in boreal forests was generally weak, not very extensive (DEI usually < 20 m) and decreased with time. We found more extensive edge influence at natural edges, at younger edges and in broadleaf forests. The comparison among regions revealed weaker edge influence in Fennoscandian forests. Synthesis. Edges created by forest harvesting do not appear to have as strong, extensive or persistent influence on vegetation in boreal as in tropical or temperate forested ecosystems. We attribute this apparent resistance to shorter canopy heights, inherent heterogeneity in boreal forests and their adaptation to frequent natural disturbance. Nevertheless, notable differences between forest structure responses to natural (fire) and anthropogenic (cut) edges raise concerns about biodiversity implications of extensive creation of anthropogenic edges. By highlighting universal responses to edge influence in boreal forests that are significant irrespective of edge or forest type, and those which vary by edge type, we provide a context for the conservation of boreal forests.

Balancing the Relationship Between Protection and Sustainable Management in Canada′s Boreal Forest

Protection and sustainable forest management are related but unique, with protection focusing on minimising risk to ecosystems and sustainable management emphasising economic development. Given these distinct roles, a defining characteristic of the relationship between the two approaches is their relative abundance and distribution. The relationship is currently imbalanced, with only 12% of Canada allocated to protection, indicating that ecological values have historically been traded off in favour of resource production. The intactness of Canada's boreal forest provides an opportunity for a more holistic approach that conserves its globally significant environmental attributes while also supporting resource production. The Boreal Forest Conservation Framework proposes a balanced relationship that allocates land approximately equally between protection and sustainable management. It is a framework that has been endorsed by industry, Aboriginal, and conservation organisations, and is supported by conservation science. Recent commitments to comprehensive land-use planning at regional scales are consistent with the collaborative approach promoted by the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework, and suggest that conservation objectives are likely to receive increased attention in Canada's boreal region relative to recent history. Ensuring that land-use planning is proactive and balanced will be essential to forging a cooperative relationship between sustainable management and protection in the region.

Utilizing North American Regional Reanalysis for modeling soil moisture and evapotranspiration in reconstructed watersheds

Oil sands development in Canada presents overwhelming challenges for boreal forest conservation and reclamation due to the disturbance of watershed function. Modeling hydrological processes for reclaimed landscapes is essential for assessing the performance of different reclamation strategies and their evolution over time, and requires a reliable continuous source of input data. This study evaluated the utility of precipitation and temperature data from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) for the hydrological modeling of two reconstructed sites located north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. NARR precipitation and air temperature data were in good agreement with the observed onsite datasets. A generic system dynamics watershed (GSDW) model was initially calibrated using the onsite meteorological data, resulting in simulated soil moisture values that slightly overestimated observed values. The model was re-calibrated using the NARR temperature and precipitation data as inputs while the remaining data (e.g., net radiation, wind speed, and relative humidity) were obtained from the weather station. The re-calibrated model was a good alternative to onsite weather station data for simulating soil moisture patterns and evapotranspiration fluxes, particularly in cases of data scarcity. The re-calibrated model was used along with the NARR long term dataset (1979–2006) to evaluate the current/future hydrological performance of existing reconstructed watersheds with respect to soil moisture deficit using a probabilistic framework, and the results compared with long term performance estimates using the onsite-calibrated GSDW model. The study showed overall average correlation coefficients of 0.96 and 0.64 between the NARR and the onsite observed datasets for temperature and precipitation, respectively, and average root mean squared error (RMSE) values of 4.2 °C and 2.3 mm for the same datasets for the period of 2000–2006. The current study demonstrates and validates the application of NARR data to hydrological modeling for future reclaimed sites in the same region. Adopting NARR data for the assessment of the long term hydrological performance of reconstructed watersheds can inform decision making with respect to the design of reconstructed soil covers.

Ethnoscaping Canada's boreal forest: liberal whiteness and its disaffiliation from colonial space

This essay examines the construction of Canada's boreal forest from the point of view of critical whiteness studies. Through an evaluation of two texts—a film and a book—produced in conjunction with a 2003–2004 environmental campaign, it argues that the boreal forest is constructed as a white ethnoscape and that, as a result, boreal forest conservation comes to be associated with ‘white’ identity, although by no means exclusively so, and certainly not without significant contradictions. The essay deploys Robyn Wiegman's notion of liberal whiteness to argue that liberal white subjectivity is cultivated in these texts by its self‐conscious distancing, or disaffiliation, from colonial spatial practices. It is argued that this distancing is achieved through the active inclusion of First Nations peoples in the texts such that the boreal forest is constructed as a socio‐natural working landscape. Liberal white disaffiliation is explored through three specific tropes: inclusion, inverted racial historicism and economic partnership.

Carabid beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) diversity in the black spruce succession of eastern Canada

This study provides the first assessment of carabid beetle diversity in a natural forest context that encompasses a complete black spruce ( Picea mariana) natural succession. Boreal forest conservation has been based on several assumptions about forest age that only consider species richness without accounting for species composition. It has also been guided by studies of incomplete chronologies that do not include naturally burned or old-growth stages. Twenty-one forest stands of different ages following fire – from recently burned to old-growth stages (0–340 years of age) – were sampled, revealing a strong relationship between age of forest and diversity of Carabidae. Over time, species richness followed a parabolic U-shaped pattern both with observed (Obs) and predicted richness (ACE). Chronological clustering identified four groups of species in the succession: the ‘burned’ group characterized 0–2-year-old forests, ‘regenerating’ (21–58 year), ‘mature’ (70–170 year) and ‘old-growth’ (177–340 year). The time spans corresponding to each of these assemblages lengthen with age of forest at an exponential rate. Ward’s and K-means (clustering without constraint) provided support for the four assemblages but showed variation between individual successions, particularly for the ‘regenerating’ assemblage, identified as the most heterogeneous. The IndVal method identified characteristic species in every stage of the succession, particularly Sericoda spp. in the burned stage and Dromius piceus and Platynus mannerheimii associated with old-growth stands. The results obtained here show that diversity of Carabidae varies in primeval conditions according to age of forest and such variation should be taken into account when conservation issues are involved.

Regional Nature-Protected Forests as Part of a Preservation Strategy for Boreal Forests in the Chita Region

The area covered by forests in the Chita region (Russian Federation – northern ecological region), is currently administered within the framework of Russian Federation (RF) legislation. Forests that need to be protected in the Chita region because of their natural significance were identified based on their status and use regime. The possibility of creating a regional network of “nature-protection forests” as a first step in the implementation of a boreal forest conservation strategy is discussed.

Aspect modifies the magnitude of edge effects on bryophyte growth in boreal forests

Summary The increased length of forest clear‐cut edges is considered to be one of the main ecological consequences of silviculture. The effects vary over the landscape, and studies have shown that aspect is one important factor determining the extent of microclimatic edge effects across forest clear‐cut boundaries. However, little is known about the relationship between contrasts in microclimate at edges and responses of ecological processes and biodiversity, such as growth, decomposition and species distributions. A field experiment was conducted in the boreal forest of northern Sweden to assess the effect of aspect at north‐ and south‐facing edges using mosses as bioindicators. The growth of two species (Hylocomium splendens and Hylocomiastrum umbratum) was evaluated during one growing season. Samples of each species were planted in pots at eight north‐ and eight south‐facing forest clear‐cut edges. Growth increased exponentially with distance from the edge to the interior, and there was a significant effect both in north‐ and south‐facing edges. The percentage decline in growth at the edge was larger in the south‐ than in the north‐facing edges. The spatial extent of the edge effect, when measured at the point of 90% of interior growth, was similar between north‐ and south‐facing edges, although it differed between the two species evaluated. Synthesis and applications. The difference in exposure to sunlight between north‐ and south‐facing edges was shown to modify the magnitude of the growth of a poikilohydric organism at the very edge, but not the depth of the edge influence. Aspect should be taken into account in management plans for conservation of boreal forests. In the northern hemisphere, wider buffers of uncut forest should be left at the south side than at the north side of retained forest patches. Those forest interior species that are most sensitive to alterations in microclimate will, however, need equal protection from edge effects at all aspects.

Conservation of beetles in boreal pine forests: the effects of forest age and naturalness on species assemblages

The effort of boreal forest conservation has emphasised the preservation of old-growth forests while the role of young successional stages in maintaining biodiversity has remained largely unstudied. We compared the richness of beetle species and composition of species assemblages between managed and seminatural forests in five stages of forest succession. The sites were in boreal sub-xeric pine-dominated forests in eastern Finland. Seminatural study sites, especially the recently burned sites, were important habitats for threatened and near-threatened species. We propose that young stages of natural succession should be included in the network of protected forest areas. On the other hand, the composition of saproxylic species assemblages in seminatural forests differed from the assemblages in managed forests, indicating also the need to improve the forest management guidelines so that they better address the requirements of species protection. Regeneration methods applied should resemble or mimic the natural disturbances more closely.