Boreal Mixedwood Forest Research Articles

Characterizing forest structural changes in response to non-stand replacing disturbances using bitemporal airborne laser scanning data

Characterizing the extent, severity, and persistence of natural disturbances in forests is crucial in areas as large and heterogeneous as the Canadian boreal forest. Non-stand replacing (NSR) disturbances, in particular, can produce subtle and lagged impacts to forest canopy and structure with mechanisms that remain elusive, and they are challenging to discern using typical remote sensing approaches including aerial photointerpretation and spectral analysis of satellite imagery. Consequently, there is a need for timely and accurate information on the structural modifications due to NSR disturbances to inform proactive forest management practices. To address these needs, we leveraged a unique bitemporal airborne laser scanning (ALS) dataset to characterize changes in the forest structure caused by eastern spruce budworm (ESB, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.)), responsible for one of the greatest tree mortality in Canada. A range of infestation severity with varying impacts to forest structure are examined in a mixedwood boreal forest in Lac-Saint Jean, Quebec, Canada. We derived 14 ALS structural change metrics at 10 m spatial resolution, including height, cover, and gappiness 7 years apart (2014–2020). Six distinct structural responses to cumulative ESB infestations severity were identified using cluster analysis from the combination of the 14 change metrics, with canopy cover, the 75th and 25th height percentiles (p75-25) driving cluster separability. Canopy cover and p25 consistently decreased as cumulative infestation severity increased, whereas p75 showed greater variability across the landscape. Photointerpretation of aerial imagery over the same period confirmed the validity of the structural characterization. Further, we studied the role of initial forest structures in modulating the severity of the infestation and found that sparser canopies with cover <65% and shorter trees (p75 < 7.5 m, p25 < 2.5 m) were associated with less severe ESB infestations after 7 years, and controlling for underlying environmental factors. These findings showed the potential of bitemporal ALS data in characterizing structural changes due to ESB infestations at fine scale based on canopy cover and height, relevant for forest management strategies to better target current and future infestations.

Large, sustained soil CO2 efflux but rapid recovery of CH4 oxidation in post-harvest and post-fire stands in a mixedwood boreal forest

The net effect of forest disturbances, such as fires and harvesting, on soil greenhouse gas fluxes is determined by their impacts on both biological and physical factors, as well as the temporal dynamics of these effects post-disturbance. Although harvesting and fire may have distinct effects on soil carbon (C) dynamics, the temporal patterns in soil CO2 and CH4 fluxes and the potential differences between types of disturbances, remain poorly characterized in boreal forests. In this study, we measured soil CO2 and CH4 fluxes using a off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy system in snow-free seasons over two years in post-harvest and post-fire chronosequence sites within a mixedwood boreal forest in northwestern Ontario, Canada. Soil CO2 efflux showed a post-disturbance peak, with differing dynamics depending on the disturbance type: post-harvest stands exhibited a nearly tenfold increase (from ∼1 to ∼11 μmol CO2.m-2.s−1) from 1 to 9–10 years post-disturbance, followed by a steep decline; post-fire stands showed a more gradual increase, peaking at ∼6–7.2 μmol CO2.m-2.s−1 after ∼12–15 years. The youngest post-harvest stands were net sources of CH4,whereas post-fire stands were never net CH4 sources. In both disturbance types, the strength of the CH4 sink increased with stand age, approaching ∼2.4 nmol.m-2.s−1 by 15 years post-disturbance. Volumetric water content, bulk density, litter depth, and pH were significant predictors of CO2 fluxes; for CH4 fluxes, litter depth, pH, and the interaction of VWC and soil temperature were significant predictors in both disturbance types, with EC also showing a relationship in post-harvest stands. Our findings indicate that while soil CH4 oxidation rapidly recovers following disturbance, both post-harvest and post-fire stands show a multi-decade release of soil CO2 that is too large to be offset by C gains over this period.

Simulations reveal variability in exposure to drier conditions during timing of budbreak for tree species of the mixedwood forests of Québec, Canada.

Due to climate change, the timing of budbreak is occurring earlier in temperate and boreal tree species. Since the warmer conditions also cause snow to melt earlier in the spring, the hypothesis that bud reactivation of tree species of the mixedwood forests of Québec would occur under drier conditions in the future and that species from the temperate forests with late budbreak would be most exposed to dry conditions was tested. The thermal-time bud phenology model was used to predict the timing of budbreak for early and late species using 300 and 500 growing degree-days as the threshold for the timing of budbreak. Climate data was obtained from four CMIP6 climate models from 1950-2100 for two socioeconomic pathways at two locations, one in the temperate forest and one in the boreal mixedwood forest. Using linear regressions, the anomaly, which results from the difference between the historical mean (1950-1980) and the yearly values in timing of budbreak was predicted by the anomaly in drought index (SPEI) per site, climate model, socioeconomic pathways, and species with early or late budbreak timing. Budbreak is expected to occur earlier in the future, whereas the temporal trends in SPEI remained weak during April and May. When paired with the anomalies in both timing of budbreak and drought index, analyses showed that budbreak could be expected to occur under drier conditions in the future. However, due to differences between climate models, it remains uncertain whether drought stress will begin earlier in the future.

Fire and retention island remnants have similar deadwood carbon stock a decade after disturbances in boreal forests of Alberta

In an attempt to reconcile wood extraction and forest biodiversity in managed boreal forests, ecosystem-based forest management (EBM) has become the de facto management approach. Retention forestry represents one prominent way that EBM is implemented in many parts of the world. Retention patches commonly left after harvesting serve as analogues of fire island remnants, which are patches of unburned forests in the burned forest matrix. Although the persistence of retention patches has been questioned, few studies have attempted to quantitatively compare forest attributes in both burned and harvested forests. As part of a larger program examining multiple aspects of ecosystem function in fire and harvest island remnants, we investigated the impact of disturbance type (fire/harvest) and forest edges on C stock in snags and coarse woody debris (CWD) found in island remnants in mixedwood boreal forests of Alberta, Canada. Total C stock (in snags and CWD) was similar between the two disturbance types and edge plots had similar total deadwood C stocks to interiors. The edges of island remnants had about two-fold more snag C stock than their interiors in both disturbance types, but C stock in CWD was unaffected by edge effects and disturbance type. Our results suggest that deadwood C dynamics in island remnants in fire and harvest disturbed boreal forests were similar, thus lending support for the continued implementation of retention forestry in Alberta.

Postglacial vegetation migration facilitated by outposts on proglacial lake islands in eastern North America

Postglacial vegetation colonization that followed ice retreat and proglacial lakes drainage in north-eastern America occurred rapidly, more rapidly than expected based on the modern dispersal capacities of boreal mixedwood trees. Paleo-islands from proglacial Lake Ojibway in Québec (Canada) were afforested early, before the final drainage of the lake. We hypothesized that these paleo-islands could have acted as outposts of migration and thus, could explain the rapid afforestation of lowlands observed. To determine if postglacial colonization occurred as a south-north front from the southern margin of Lake Ojibway or if islands acted as migration outposts, we estimated the date of first arrival of the main taxa of the current boreal mixedwood forest. We studied southern sites never covered by proglacial Lake Ojibway, sites that were islands within Lake Ojibway, and northern lowland sites that were liberated after the final drainage of proglacial Lake Ojibway. Taxa arrival was estimated as a sharp rise of the pollen percentage or as the occurrence of macro-remains within the sediments of small lakes dated with radiocarbon. Then we compared migration scenarios where colonization occurred gradually from south to north from the southern margin of proglacial Lake Ojibway and where paleo-islands of Lake Ojibway were first colonized through long-distance dispersal, thus becoming sources of seeds readily available to colonize lowland sites after the final drainage of Lake Ojibway. Finally, we compared the migration rates from the scenarios with the current mean dispersal capacities of the studied taxa. The migration rates estimated without taking the paleo-islands into account are too slow to explain the rapid afforestation observed following the final drainage of proglacial Lake Ojibway. Only the migration rates estimated from the scenarios with paleo-islands were comparable to the current mean dispersal capacity of the boreal mixedwood taxa. Thus, paleo-islands acted as stepping stones during postglacial migration, which explains why the lowlands were rapidly colonized. Larger paleo-islands and those located closer to the southern margin of the proglacial Lake were colonized first, in line with the theory of island biogeography.

Confronting the cycle synchronisation paradigm of defoliator outbreaks in space and time—Evidence from two systems in a mixed‐species forest landscape

Abstract Defoliators cause extensive damage in boreal and temperate forests of the world. Considerable effort has been invested to understand their individual population dynamics, and despite ample theorising, there is little empirical evidence on factors causing spatial synchrony of pest eruptions at landscape scales. We report on the landscape‐level effect of forest configuration and composition on the intensity of outbreaks of spruce budworm and forest tent caterpillar in a mixedwood boreal forest in northern Minnesota (USA) and adjacent Ontario (Canada), and how this is related to the degree of spatial synchrony in each species' outbreak cycling. Using a large spatiotemporal tree‐ring reconstruction of outbreak impacts across these two systems, we evaluate two contrasting theories governing defoliator outbreaks: harmonic oscillation (a.k.a. ‘clockwork’) and relaxation oscillation (a.k.a. ‘catastrophe’), each with consequences linked to top‐down versus bottom‐up influences on outbreak behaviour in time and space. We find synchrony varies temporally, among outbreak cycles and in direct proportion to cycle peak intensity; however, cycle peak intensities are distributed bimodally in time, and so, therefore, are synchrony coefficients. Spatially, the area where each pest species currently cycles with the greatest peak intensity and synchrony is where their preferred host trees are currently found in greatest proportion. Despite overall synchrony in cycling, we found, in both systems, a persistent negative spatial correlation among successive eruptive pulses of defoliation. Many of these eruptions failed to spread spatially and to coalesce with other spot eruptions to form extensive area‐wide outbreaks. Eruptions often fail to spread at the hardwood‐conifer interface, resulting in outbreak pulses that systematically bounce back and forth between landscape types, particularly when systems were cycling at low amplitude. These over‐dispersed spatial patterns of pulse impact are consistent with a contagious theory of eruption and outbreak spread. They could be considered consistent with harmonic oscillation theory only for populations cycling at different frequencies, with cycling frequency determined by host forest landscape structure. Synthesis. We find that defoliator outbreak dynamics across systems include spatiotemporal signatures of each theoretical paradigm—suggesting a hybrid approach will better characterise outbreak behaviour. Host concentration influences which paradigm dominates the spatial dynamics in any given forest landscape context. Because of the synchronising effect of host concentration on forest insect spatial dynamics, mixedwoods appear to be less prone to intense, synchronised defoliator attack than forests of pure hardwood or pure conifer.

Post-fire and harvest legacy on soil carbon and microbial communities in boreal forest soils

The boreal forest is currently facing multiple disturbances, which are increasing in extent, frequency and severity. Of particular concern in the western boreal forest of Canada are wildfires and harvesting, which, in the short-term, may impact the forest floor, a storehouse of organic matter and site of highest soil microbial activity. However, how these disturbances may individually and cumulatively affect soil properties during ecosystem recovery is not well documented. Here we compared the separate and compound (salvage-logging) effects of wildfire and harvesting in the mixedwood boreal forest of northern Alberta. Ten years following disturbance, carbon chemical composition of the harvested forest floors was comparable to the control plots as was indicated by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. We report a legacy effect of fire in recovering forest floors, with the continued presence of black carbon. Further, as determined by phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA), both wildfire and salvage-logging disturbance resulted in distinct microbial composition from the control and harvest treatments. A shift in organic matter composition indicative of fresh plant inputs was determined to be a key driver of community differences. Despite the presence of black carbon, and shallower depth, the fire-disturbed forest floor harbored the greatest microbial biomass. However, this greater microbial biomass was not present following salvage-logging of the fire disturbed stands. Instead, the salvage-logged stands had the shallowest forest floor, low microbial biomass, and differed the most from the control forest floors based on PLFA results. Taken together, these results indicate that, ten years after disturbance, the compound disturbance of salvage-logging had a greater impact on the recovery of forest floor microbial communities than harvest or wildfire alone.

Competitive interactions under current climate allow temperate tree species to grow and survive in boreal mixedwood forest

With climate change, climatic optima are shifting poleward more rapidly than tree migration processes, resulting in a mismatch between species distributions and bioclimatic envelopes. Temperate hardwood tree species may take advantage of the release of climate constraints and forest management to migrate into the boreal forest. Here, we use the SORTIE‐ND forest simulation model to determine the potential for the persistence of three temperate species (sugar maple, red maple and yellow birch) when introduced at seedling stage in typical balsam fir–paper birch (BF–PB) bioclimatic domain stands of eastern Canada, quantifying the consequences on the native species composition. SORTIE‐ND is a spatially explicit, individual‐based forest stand model that simulates tree growth, regeneration and mortality. We performed a novel parameterization of the SORTIE‐ND tree growth equation allowing for the inclusion of climate modifiers on tree growth. After validating our model with data from permanent forest inventory plots, we modeled the dynamics of unharvested stands at different successional stages, as well as post‐harvest stands, after the addition of sugar maple, red maple and yellow birch seedlings at different densities. Our results show that current BF–PB domain climate conditions do not limit growth and survival of temperate species in boreal stands. Of the temperate species introduced, sugar maple had the lowest ability to grow and survive by the end of the simulation. Species assemblages of host stands were impacted by the presence of temperate species when the addition of seedlings was above 5000 temperate seedlings per hectare at the beginning of the simulation. For stands that were recently clear cut, temperate seedlings were unable to grow due to intense competition from aspen regeneration. Our results suggest that both current climate and competitive interactions between temperate species and boreal species should not impede the ability of temperate species to grow and survive in the BF–PB domain.

The influence of forest harvesting activities on seismic line tree and shrub regeneration in upland mixedwood boreal forests

Alberta's forests are becoming increasingly disturbed and fragmented by the cumulative effects of anthropogenic disturbances exacerbated by the enduring footprint of seismic lines on the landscape. Forest harvesting and subsequent reforestation activities (e.g., site preparation and tree planting) may facilitate tree growth on seismic lines when forestry companies incorporate them into management areas. In this study, forest regeneration was assessed along transects on and off seismic lines within four cutblocks in northwestern Alberta. Tree, sapling, and shrub characteristics were measured, and tree cookies from a subset of trees on and off seismic lines were used to model height growth. No difference in total tree, sapling, or shrub counts on and off seismic lines was found although trees on seismic lines were growing at slightly slower rates compared to the adjacent cutblock, and Alnus viridis was more abundant on seismic lines. Our results suggest that, despite some species-level differences and modest differences in tree growth rates, trees on seismic lines within cutblocks are regenerating similarly to other trees growing in the post-harvest stand. These findings indicate that forest harvesting, and subsequent reforestation, could represent an important tool in conducting landscape-level restoration in mixedwood forests where seismic lines have not naturally recovered.

Dynamics and recovery of forest understory biodiversity over 17 years following varying levels of retention harvesting

Abstract Retention harvesting is advocated as an alternative to intensive timber harvesting, such as clear‐cutting, to better maintain or facilitate recovery of biodiversity and other ecological values in managed forests. However, it is not clear how long the benefits of retention harvests persist. We investigated responses of understory vascular plant cover, richness, diversity (inverse Simpson index) and composition to a gradient in dispersed retention (2% [clear‐ cut], 10%, 20%, 50% and 75% retention; unharvested reference [100% retention]) at 3, 6, 11, and 17 years after harvest, in four boreal mixedwood forest types (deciduous (broadleaf)‐dominated, deciduous‐dominated with conifer understory, mixed, and conifer‐dominated) in western Canada. Understory cover and richness tended to increase in the short‐term (3 years), peaked at 6–11 years with differences following the gradient of harvesting intensity, then plateaued or declined in the second decade (17 years), by which time there were minimal or no differences among harvesting levels, including the reference. Responses for diversity were minimal. In contrast, composition varied along the gradient of harvesting intensity and showed little recovery towards the unharvested condition over the 17‐year period. Generally, for plant community composition, clear‐cut and lower retention treatments (10%, 20%) were similar to one another but differed from the higher retention and unharvested reference treatments. Synthesis and applications: Retention harvests can moderate the negative impacts of harvesting and facilitate the recovery of biodiversity. Our results suggest that for the cover, richness and diversity of understory vascular plants, this moderating influence is weak and short‐lived. However, higher levels of retention can temper changes in understory composition relative to the unharvested forest, but full recovery is likely to be slow and will be complicated by post‐harvest regeneration dynamics.

Old forest structural development drives complexity of nest webs in a naturally disturbed boreal mixedwood forest landscape

Structural complexity generated by forest development processes and tree species compositional changes provide key habitat features for vertebrate communities that rely upon tree size and decay processes for foraging, denning or nesting. Complexity of forest structure in old stands could not only be key for harboring increased taxonomic species diversity but also greater functional diversity through more complexity in networks of tree cavity dependent species. Using a nest web approach that hierarchically links cavity-bearing trees with cavity formation agents (natural decay processes and avian excavators) and cavity users (non-excavator species), we compared network characteristics of nest webs along a time since fire gradient in a naturally disturbed boreal mixedwood forest landscape in eastern North America. Since 2003, twelve 24 to 40 ha plots ranging from 61 to more than 245 years after fire were surveyed at the Lake Duparquet Research and Teaching Forest in Abitibi, Quebec, Canada to detect active nesting, and denning cavities. We found that network complexity both in terms of number of vertebrate species and number of interactions among species, increased along the age gradient and was significantly higher in the older stands than predicted by chance. Whereas cavity-nesting communities in old forests used a higher diversity of tree species over a wide range of decay stages, trembling aspen remained a key cavity-bearing tree throughout the age gradient. Woodpeckers were the main cavity formation agents whereas less than 1% of cavities originated from natural decay. The structural development of older forests is thus a driver for functional diversity in cavity-using vertebrate communities through higher interaction richness in nest webs, among cavity-bearing trees, excavators and non-excavating users. The pivotal contribution of the entire gradient of old forest cover types to the overall complexity of nest webs in the boreal mixedwood zone is also a key for the resilience of the cavity-using vertebrate community to natural disturbances. We discuss how such resilience may be compromised by even-aged industrial timber harvesting with short rotations that shifts the age structure of boreal landscapes toward regenerating and young pole forests whereas old forest cover types become below their historical range of variability.

Bryophyte community responses 20 years after forest management in boreal mixedwood forest

Sustainable forest management relies on a diversity of harvesting practices to conserve the variety of stand structures and compositions found in natural forests. Extensive use of clearcuts can homogenize stand structure by removing all the canopy, damage forest soils and destroy older downed woody debris already present within stands. In contrast partial cuts maintain some standing overstory and conserve certain biological legacies like large live trees as well as standing and downed dead wood, and thus should better conserve biodiversity. However, given the large number of species potentially affected by harvest operations, balancing harvesting intensity and conservation of biodiversity requires a clear understanding of habitat requirements of resident organisms and species conservation post-harvest. We examined the impacts of increasing intensities of stem removal (33%, 40%, 66% and 100%) 20 years after harvest on bryophyte communities in three stand types common in the succession sequences of Eastern boreal mixedwood forests that were dominated by trembling aspen, mixedwood and conifers. While many generalist and common forest species were shared among all harvesting levels and forest types, more specialized species like liverworts differed strongly between uncut and clearcut stands and less between uncut and partial cut stands. Bryophyte species in hardwood dominated stands tolerated more fluctuations in environmental conditions than species in mixed stands. We were unable to find habitat specialists typically associated with coniferous stands and may be related to prior outbreaks of spruce budworm that occurred 30 years ago. Our results highlight how harvest intensity and forest stand type interact to affect bryophytes and how intact stands may be required to conserve many species that are sensitive to any degree of harvesting.

Rapid recovery of boreal rove beetle (Staphylinidae) assemblages 16 years after variable retention harvest

Post‐harvest recovery of biodiversity is one of important goals in modern forestry. A variable retention (VR) approach has been of particular interest in North America because it promotes rapid faunal recovery, while minimizing negative lasting impacts of logging on the natural fauna. We studied responses of rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) to a broad range of retention harvests (2, 10, 20, 50 and 75% retention) in comparison to uncut controls as part of the Ecosystem Management Emulating Natural Disturbance (EMEND) experiment in the boreal mixedwood forest of western Canada. We sampled beetles using pitfall traps 1, 2, 11 and 16 years post‐harvest in replicated (n = 3) stands representing four cover types (deciduous‐dominated, deciduous with spruce understory, mixed and coniferous‐dominated). We collected 74 263 individuals distributed across 99 species (excluding Aleocharinae). Estimated species richness was highest in clear‐cuts until year 11, but by year 16 species richness was similar among treatments. Species composition initially varied strongly in relation to intensity of harvest treatments, but overall variation decreased with time, and by year 16, species composition overlapped among most treatment combinations. Assemblages recovered more quickly in early successional (deciduous‐dominated) than in late successional (mixed and conifer‐dominated) stands. Overall, our results show that rove beetle assemblages in stands harvested to all VR prescriptions converged more rapidly toward those in fire‐origin mature stands than did assemblages in clear‐cuts over the first 16 years post‐harvest. Thus, it demonstrates that even modest levels of forest retention can facilitate the recovery of staphylinid assemblages in managed landscapes.

Effect of variable retention forestry on wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) in early successional boreal mixedwood forests

Variable retention forest harvesting aims to reduce negative effects of harvesting on forest biodiversity, but knowledge gaps remain regarding its effects on some taxa over longer post-harvest time frames. To better understand effects of variable retention and environmental features on amphibians, we used pitfall traps to capture wood frogs ( Lithobates sylvaticus (LeConte, 1825)) across four levels of retention (clearcut (0%), 20%, 50%, and unharvested control (100%)), and two forest types (deciduous and coniferous), in 17-year post-harvest forests in northwest Alberta. We mapped breeding sites and used a LiDAR-based terrain moisture index (depth-to-water) to examine relationships between relative abundance, breeding site proximity, and soil moisture. Retention level alone had no effect on relative abundance of adult wood frogs, but in late summer (July and August), there was a significant interaction between retention level and forest type: capture rates decreased with retention level for deciduous forests, but increased with retention level in conifer forests. During late summer, capture rates were higher in conifer forests than deciduous forests, with soil moisture (lower depth-to-water) positively related to capture rates. Though timber retention may be beneficial to wood frogs in the short term, any impacts of forest harvesting on wood frog abundance were undetectable in stands 17 years post-harvest.

Growing Space Management in Boreal Mixedwood Forests: 22 Year Results

ABSTRACT Boreal mixed forests of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) and white spruce (Picea glauca) can provide higher outputs of many ecosystem goods and services, combined with resilience for changing environmental conditions. In this study, we examine the growth of white spruce and aspen over a range of stand compositions created by spot and broadcast treatments of broadleaves using manual and chemical means, aspen spacing, and untreated control. Twenty-two growing seasons postharvest, treatment responses created a range of broadleaf densities and spatial arrangements, reflected in significant differences in heights and diameters of the spruce mixedwood component. At this early seral stage, treatments have generated diversity in both tree species composition and stand structure. Modeling of the stand structures created by the different treatments provided outcomes ranging from pure conifer to broadleaf dominated when assessed by merchantable volumes. Broadleaf manipulations changed the relative proportion of spruce and broadleaf species in a mixture, achieving a variety of potential landscape and stand-level goals. Treatment differences were often not statistically significant until at least 16 years after stand initiation. Monitoring the achievement of mixedwood management goals will require longer time periods than currently employed for broadleaf or conifer monocultures.

Emulating Succession of Boreal Mixedwood Forests in Alberta Using Understory Protection Harvesting

Understory protection harvesting is a form of partial cutting that can be used in aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.)-dominated stands that have understories of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss). This practice involves removing 75% to 85% of the merchantable aspen while minimizing damage to the advance spruce regeneration, in addition to leaving 15% to 25% of the aspen standing to reduce potential windthrow of the spruce understory. In this paper, we summarize results from 18 stands measured 10 to 12 years after understory protection harvest. Diameter growth of spruce increased during the first five years after harvest while height growth increased during the second five-year period (5 to 10 or 7 to 12 years after release). Consistent with other studies, mortality rates of aspen trees ≥7.1 cm DBH (diameter breast height, 1.3 m) averaged 45.0% over the 10–12 year period following harvesting. Spruce mortality averaged 27.5% over the same 10–12 year period. Substantial aspen regeneration was evident across most harvested blocks, with aspen sapling densities 10–12 years from harvest being higher in removal (14,637 stems⋅ha−1) than in buffer areas (6686 stems⋅ha−1) and in extraction trails (7654 stems⋅ha−1). Spruce sapling (&gt;1.3 m height and &lt;4 cm DBH) densities averaged 1140 stems⋅ha−1 in removal areas at ages 10–12, with these trees likely being present as seedlings at the time of harvest. Mixedwood Growth Model projections indicate merchantable volumes averaging 168 m3⋅ha−1 (conifer) and 106 m3⋅ha−1 (deciduous) 70 years from harvest, resulting in MAI (mean annual increment) for this period averaging 2.0 m3⋅ha−1⋅y−1 with MAI for a full 150-year rotation of approximately 2.5 m3⋅ha−1⋅y−1.

Field sampling methods on seismic lines: a comparison between circular plots and belt transects

Seismic lines are linear clearings created for oil and gas exploration. Regeneration on seismic lines in Alberta's boreal forest is limited by slow natural recovery, making them persistent features on the landscape and prompting interest in line restoration through vegetation reestablishment. The goal of this study was to establish an effective woody vegetation sampling method for monitoring seismic line regeneration in boreal mixedwood forests. Data collected in belt transects and circular plots were similar, and doubling the area sampled did not impact the results. Based on ease of implementation, a 30 m × 2 m belt transect in the center of a seismic line is the recommended sampling method. However, if woody understory vegetation is also being measured, dividing the belt transect into smaller areas is recommended as a single belt transect yielded less accurate height data than circular plots. Plots were also measured along seismic lines' edge and inner areas to determine if vegetation recovery differs across the width of the line. While all tree responses did not differ between the plot locations, woody understory vegetation was more abundant when measured along the inner seismic line locations. Therefore, if woody understory recovery is the focus of the sampling program, using plots placed across the seismic line width is recommended to prevent overestimation. These recommendations are intended for measuring woody vegetation recovery on 5 m wide seismic lines in upland mixedwood forests in the boreal forest; implementation in other environments or for other response variables requires additional testing.

Insect defoliation modulates influence of climate on the growth of tree species in the boreal mixed forests of eastern Canada.

Increasing air temperatures and changing precipitation patterns due to climate change can affect tree growth in boreal forests. Periodic insect outbreaks affect the growth trajectory of trees, making it difficult to quantify the climate signal in growth dynamics at scales longer than a year. We studied climate‐driven growth trends and the influence of spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana Clem.) outbreaks on these trends by analyzing the basal area increment (BAI) of 2058 trees of Abies balsamea (L.) Mill., Picea glauca (Moench) Voss, Thuja occidentalis L., Populus tremuloides Michx., and Betula papyrifera Marsh, which co‐occurs in the boreal mixedwood forests of western Quebec. We used a generalized additive mixed model (GAMM) to analyze species‐specific trends in BAI dynamics from 1967 to 1991. The model relied on tree size, cambial age, degree of spruce budworm defoliation, and seasonal climatic variables. Overall, we observed a decreasing growth rate of the spruce budworm host species, A. balsamea and P. glauca between 1967 and 1991, and an increasing growth rate for the non‐host, P. tremuloides, B. papyrifera, and T. occidentalis. Our results suggest that insect outbreaks may offset growth increases resulting from a warmer climate. The observation warrants the inclusion of the spruce budworm defoliation into models predicting future forest productivity.

Bryophyte Community Responses 20 Years after Forest Management in Boreal Mixedwood Forest

Bryophyte Community Responses 20 Years after Forest Management in Boreal Mixedwood Forest

Comment mettre la génomique forestière et la génomique de la conservation au service des communautés autochtones?

Les projets d’aménagement durable et de conservation (ADC) des ressources naturelles en collaboration avec les peuples autochtones ayant recours à une approche en génomique sont en émergence. Les informations et applications issues de la génomique peuvent leur être utiles particulièrement dans un contexte de changements climatiques. Toutefois, le défi de transposer ces applications dans la pratique et de les mettre au service des communautés demeure. Nous présentons ici une revue de littérature exploratoire qui aborde (1) les utilités démontrées de la génomique dans les projets d’ADC impliquant les peuples autochtones, (2) certains enjeux qui peuvent limiter l’adoption des applications de la génomique et (3) le travail collaboratif entre chercheurs et communautés autochtones dans les études analysées. Les utilités démontrées identifiées ont été essentiellement de nature socioécologique. La nature complémentaire des savoirs autochtones et des savoirs scientifiques en génomique a été reconnue comme une opportunité qui devrait être développée davantage pour relever les défis actuels, tels que les changements climatiques. En ce qui concerne l’adoption de cette technologie en ADC dans la pratique, en plus de faire face à des enjeux similaires à d’autres utilisateurs finaux, l’intégration des besoins, des valeurs traditionnelles et des connaissances des communautés autochtones dans les projets de génomique représente également un défi dans un contexte de décolonisation de la recherche en génomique. Finalement, la collaboration communauté-chercheur a été identifiée comme un élément clé pour favoriser la réussite de la transposition de la génomique en ADC.