Search

Copyright of Forestry Chronicle is the property of Canadian Institute of Forestry and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Forestry Chronicle is the property of Canadian Institute of Forestry and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Forestry Chronicle is the property of Canadian Institute of Forestry and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Forestry Chronicle is the property of Canadian Institute of Forestry and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Forestry Chronicle is the property of Canadian Institute of Forestry and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Climate change is expected to impact forest growth and survival as tree populations experience climates to which they are not well adapted. However, forest regeneration efforts represent opportunities to introduce genetic material on the landscape that is well matched to future climates. We estimated universal response functions (URF) for two economically and ecologically important tree species in eastern Canada – black spruce ( Picea mariana ) and eastern white pine ( Pinus strobus ). The URF approach models tree growth as a function of both the planting site climate ( i . e ., environmental effects) and seed source climate ( i . e ., genetic effects), allowing the growth of any seed source to be estimated at any location. Both species exhibited a relatively weak genetic effect, suggesting modest potential for seed movements to mitigate climate change impacts. The optimal provenance for any given location was not local, but rather located in environments that were approximately 1.5 °C warmer than the planting site; this shift is consistent in both direction and magnitude with that expected due to climate warming since the start of the industrial revolution. Both species exhibited a strong environmental effect with clear evidence for a central climatic optimum. As a result, climate warming is expected to enhance black spruce growth at sites with mean annual temperature colder than approximately 4.5 °C and white pine growth at sites colder than 11 °C. Thus, Ontario white pine populations may benefit from the climate changes projected to occur in the province over the next 50–100 years. For black spruce, populations in southern and central Ontario may experience suboptimal climate conditions over the mid-to-end of the current century. Despite the relatively weak genetic effect, climate-smart seed movements could play a role in maintaining the productivity and genetic diversity of black spruce in these areas. While the URF approach has limitations, this work demonstrates its potential for informing regeneration decisions under climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Forestry Chronicle is the property of Canadian Institute of Forestry and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Forestry Chronicle is the property of Canadian Institute of Forestry and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Forestry Chronicle is the property of Canadian Institute of Forestry and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Forestry Chronicle is the property of Canadian Institute of Forestry and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: We examined 10th year above-ground planted tree and total stand biomass, and planted tree foliar N and P concentrations across gradients in soil disturbance at 45 North American Long-Term Soil Productivity (LTSP) installations. While ranging across several climate regions, these installations all share a common experimental design with similar measurement protocols. Across all installations planted tree biomass with stem-only harvest (OM0), no compaction (C0) and chemical vegetation control (VC), ranged from 2 to 90Mgha−1. When compared with the OM0, full-tree harvest (OM1) had little consistent effect on any response variable. Full-tree harvest plus forest floor removal (OM2) also demonstrated few consistent effects on planted tree biomass, although Boreal – Great Lakes conifers showed some positive effects, reflecting high survival, but also negative effects on foliar nutrition. Compaction (C2), regardless of OM treatment, increased planted tree stand biomass consistently in Warm Humid climates, and compaction with intact forest floors (OM0C2) did so across all regions. However, most installations had medium – or coarse-textured soils and compaction did not achieve theoretical growth-limiting bulk densities. Combining OM2 with C2 resulted in lesser gains in planted tree biomass. Planted tree biomass gains with the OM0C2 were attributed largely to changes in physical soil characteristics, not to vegetation control or nutrient availability. Total stand biomass (Mgha−1) was either unaffected or, with aspen, reduced by compaction. Vegetation control (VC) consistently enhanced planted tree biomass, regardless of climate, and also enhanced foliar nutrient concentrations on Warm Humid and Mediterranean sites. VC also increased total stand biomass on sites without abundant woody competitors, but decreased it on shrub-dominated Mediterranean sites. For many of the site types and species investigated, harvest-related organic matter removal and soil compaction (excepting aspen vegetative reproduction) have not resulted in large losses in stand biomass 10year after harvest. Most stands, however, have not yet reached canopy closure, and treatment effects may continue to evolve. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Forestry Chronicle is the property of Canadian Institute of Forestry and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Forestry Chronicle is the property of Canadian Institute of Forestry and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We examined the spatial distribution of site productivity for jack pine and black spruce across a 556,000 km2 area of Ontario, Canada. Our analysis employed data from 1140 forest ecosystem classification (FEC) plots distributed across this region. Using tree-based regression, we related soil, topographic, and climatic conditions at the plots to site index (i.e. estimated height at 50 years of age) of the target species. Both species grew better on deeper mineral soils in the southern arm of the province where wetter, warmer conditions prevail. Models were tested for accuracy and bias using withheld data. Models for both species were unbiased. The jack pine model had a square root of the mean squared prediction error (root-MSPR) of 2.55 m, while that for black spruce was 2.84 m. These error levels are comparable to other rigorously tested results reported in the literature. A map was produced for each species showing the spatial distribution of site index across the study area as predicted by the regression tree models. By necessity, coarse-scale soils data were used to produce the site index maps and this increased root-MSPR errors ∼20–30% as compared to errors obtained using actual soil data recorded in the field. These maps, despite their moderate accuracy, provide a picture of relative productivity that may be used in broad-scale planning initiatives. As well, the tree-based regression models can be used to obtain point estimates of site index at locations where the required soil data are available. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper reports estimates of the economic costs of the 1998 ice storm at the enterprise and regional levels for owners of red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) and white cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) woodlots. The results are based on alternative management regimes and response strategies and illustrates the broader issues currently discussed in forestry such as intensive silviculture and harvest practices. A partial capital budget approach was used to estimate representative per hectare losses for red pine and white cedar. Stochastic simulations and sensitivity analyses were used to examine the robustness of the estimates of economic damages. Per hectare losses for red pine ranged from $560 per hectare for minimal damage for a 25-year-old stand being managed under a target harvest regime to $13,236 per hectare for a 55-year-old stand subjected to severe damage and being managed under a Faustmann harvest regime. Total economic loss for red pine plantations is estimated to be between $21.2 and $32.5 million (1999 constant dollars) at the regional level. This estimate varies with the harvest regime being used. Per hectare losses for white cedar ranged from $307 per hectare for a 70-yearold stand suffering minimal damage and being harvested under a mean annual increment rule on site index 12 land to $1721 per hectare for a 70-year-old stand suffering severe damage and being managed under a mean annual increment rule on site index 10 land. The range of estimated aggregate losses for white cedar is larger than the range for red pine, extending from $3.56 million to $39.6 million with a mean estimate of $22 million (1999 constant dollars) for the mean annual increment harvest regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measured volume of coarse woody debris (CWD) in three mature forest types (conifer, mixed, and deciduous), and two disturbance types (burns and clearcuts, both formerly mixed forests) in a boreal landscape in northwestern Ontario, Canada. The CWD levels in mixed (160.80±15.43 m3/ha) and deciduous (105.29±14.05 m3/ha) forests were significantly higher than those measured in coniferous forests (17.81±4.64 m3/ha). Deadwood in these mature forests was predominantly downed material (i.e. logs) from a range of sizes and decay states. One-year-old burns, previously of mixedwood composition, had significantly more CWD (342.61±60.60 m3/ha) than mature mixed forests (160.80±15.43 m3/ha) and recent clearcuts (111.97±35.14 m3/ha). The CWD in burns was primarily standing deadwood in the early stages of decay, while the bulk of CWD in clearcuts was made up of small pieces of recently downed material. Our findings underline the differences between burns and clearcuts with respect to CWD dynamics. We note the implications of this for boreal wildlife. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Satellite images of global forest cover are providing a new lens to evaluate forest transitions. • The quality of forest transitions with respect to biodiversity and carbon sequestration is also being scrutinized closely in the scientific literature. • Findings from forest transitions literature can be used to develop better tree planting programs and policies. Satellite data-driven discoveries are fuelling the literature on forest transitions, particularly in quantifying slow, large-scale trends. Mather's forest transition concept depicts the inflection point marking a change from decreasing to increasing forest area. This theory is being elucidated using satellite images of global forest cover from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and now from the FAO's recently introduced geospatial monitoring platform SEPAL 2.1. Recently, a series of high profile papers have illuminated the concept of the forest transition using analysis of remote sensing-based forest cover images. Defined as an increase in global forest cover, analysis of satellite images over the past thirty years suggests that a global forest transition has occurred. However, satellite data provide less information about biodiversity and carbon sequestration outcomes in new forests. Incorporating other data sources on the quality of forest transitions offers the potential to develop better reforestation programs, address climate change goals and enhance other ecological and human benefits. This article presents a view on remote sensing, biodiversity, and carbon science that has changed the study of forest transitions, and an outline of anticipated and suggested science and policy directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]