Search

Allometric equations use easily measurable biometric variables to determine the aboveground and belowground biomasses of trees. Equations produced for estimating the biomass within Canadian forests at a large scale have not yet been validated for eastern Canadian boreal open woodlands (OWs), where trees experience particular environmental conditions. In this study, we harvested 167 trees from seven boreal OWs in Quebec, Canada for biomass and allometric measurements. These data show that Canadian national equations accurately predict the whole aboveground biomass for both black spruce and jack pine trees, but underestimated branches biomass, possibly owing to a particular tree morphology in OWs relative to closed-canopy stands. We therefore developed ad hoc allometric equations based on three power models including diameter at breast height (DBH) alone or in combination with tree height (H) as allometric variables. Our results show that although the inclusion of H in the model yields better fits for most tree compartments in both species, the difference is minor and does not markedly affect biomass C stocks at the stand level. Using these newly developed equations, we found that carbon stocks in afforested OWs varied markedly among sites owing to differences in tree growth and species. Nine years after afforestation, jack pine plantations had accumulated about five times more carbon than black spruce plantations (0.14 vs. 0.80 t C&middot, ha&minus, 1), highlighting the much larger potential of jack pine for OW afforestation projects in this environment.

In Canada, boreal open woodlands (OWs) show interesting afforestation potential, but no detailed study is available regarding the carbon fraction (CF) of dry matter in biomass and litter reservoirs...

We studied mature and adjacent open lichen–spruce woodlands (LWs) and closed-canopy spruce–feathermoss stands (FMs) growing under similar edaphic conditions in the continuous boreal forest zone in Quebec (Canada). A total of six pairs of stands were investigated by profile sampling. Stem density, basal area, and biomass were about four times greater in FMs than in LWs on an area basis. In the humus layer, total stocks of C and N and of exchangeable K, Ca, Mg, Al, and Na were 1.4–2.3 times larger in FM than in LW soils. The first 30 cm and the first metre of mineral soils in LWs and FMs displayed similar available nutrient pools except for total C stocks, which were more than twice as large in FM as in LW soils in these soil layers. For the whole profile, total stocks of C and N and stocks of exchangeable Ca and Mg were 1.3–2.6 times larger in FM than in LW soils. These results highlight the low intrinsic fertility of LW soils, primarily due to the humus layer, but also the importance of the biological control of C, N, and mineral nutrients in these boreal soils.

Pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) is applied on agricultural soils as an organic fertilizer. Although it is well accepted that land application of PPMS has benefits for soils and crops, information on PPMS-induced soil N2O emissions is still limited. We assessed the effect of substituting mineral N fertilizer for PPMS on soil N2O emissions after a single application at planting on a clay loam cropped to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) over two snow-free seasons in eastern Canada. Fertilization treatments consisted of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% of crop N requirements derived from N supplied by PPMS, the remaining N being supplied as urea-N. Soil CO2 and CH4 emissions were also measured and not affected by the fertilizer addition; a slight CH4 oxidation occurred. Area-based N2O emissions from PPMS fertilization (4.4 to 12.1 kg N2O-N ha−1) were similar or higher than from urea alone (3.4 and 6.2 kg N2O-N ha−1). Although crop yields were not affected by the type of fertilizer, yield-based N2O emissions, N uptake efficiency and N surplus (applied N minus aboveground N uptake in crop biomass) indicated that N availability from the mineral fertilizer was higher than from PPMS for the wheat crop. However, treatments with PPMS had fertilizer-induced N2O emission factors (FIEF, applied N lost as N2O-N; 0.8 to 3.1%) similar to urea alone (−0.3 and 4.5%). Although substituting urea-N with PPMS in agricultural fields might reduce N2O emissions under moderate soil moisture conditions, PPMS land application produced greater N2O emissions under high soil moisture conditions. Further research on a variety of agricultural practices is needed before concluding that including PPMS in the fertilization plan could result in a global GHG abatement as compared to mineral fertilizers under the cool climate of eastern Canada.

Aim: Ballast water is a major vector of non-indigenous species introductions world-wide. Our understanding of population dynamics of organisms entrained in ballast is largely limited to studies of zooplankton and phytoplankton. Bacteria are more numerous and diverse than zooplankton or phytoplankton, yet remain comparatively understudied. We apply a metagenomics approach to characterize changes in the microbial ballast water community over the course of three voyages on one ship, and assess the effects of ballast water exchange (BWE), spring/summer sampling month and time since voyage start. Location: Quebec City and Deception Bay, Quebec, and the coastal marine region offshore of eastern Canada. Methods: We used universal primers to Ion Torrent sequence a fragment of the bacterial 16S ribosomal DNA for samples collected over three voyages of one ship between Quebec City and Deception Bay in June, July and August 2015. We compared richness (total number of species in the community) and diversity (accounts for both species abundance and evenness) using linear mixed-effects analysis and compared community composition using non-metric multidimensional scaling and permutational multivariate analysis of variance. Initial comparisons were between months. Subsequent analyses focused on each month separately. Results: Ion Torrent sequencing returned c. 2.9 million reads and revealed monthly differences in diversity and richness, and in community structure in ballast water. June had higher richness and diversity than either July or August, and showed most clearly the effect of BWE on the microbial community. Main conclusions: Our results suggest that environmental conditions associated with different spring/summer sampling months drive differences in microbial diversity in ballast water. This study showed that BWE removes some components of the freshwater starting microbial community and replaces them with other taxa. BWE also changed proportional representation of some microbes without removing them completely. It appears that some taxa are resident in ballast tanks and are not removed by BWE. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Hydropower in boreal conditions is generally considered the energy source emitting the least greenhouse gas per kilowatt-hour during its life cycle. The purpose of this study was to assess the relative contribution of the land-use change on the modification of the carbon sinks and sources following the flooding of upland forested territories to create the Eastmain-1 hydroelectric reservoir in Quebec's boreal forest using Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector. Results suggest a carbon sink loss after 100 yr of 300,000 ± 100,000 Mg CO equivalents (COe). A wildfire sensitivity analysis revealed that the ecosystem would have acted as a carbon sink as long as

Large areas of mine tailings are reclaimed by applying organic amendments such as paper mill sludge (PMS). Although mining industries can use PMS freshly generated by paper mills, operational constraints on paper industries make temporary landfilling of this material an unavoidable alternative for the paper industries, creating the most prominent PMS source for mining industries. This study aimed to quantify soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (N2O, CO2, and CH4) after application of landfilled PMS (LPMS; i.e., excavated from a landfill site at a paper mill) and LPMS combined with a seeding treatment of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) on nonacidic mine tailings site prior to reforestation. Soil N2O, CO2, and CH4 fluxes were measured after applications of 50 and 100 Mg dry LPMS ha−1 during two consecutive snowfree seasons on two adjacent sites; LPMS was applied once in the first season. The LPMS application increased N2O emissions (7.6 to 34.7 kg N2O-N ha−1, comprising 1.04 to 2.43% of applied N) compared with the unamended control during the first season; these emissions were negligible during the second season. The LPMS application increased CO2 emissions (~5800 to 11,400 kg CO2–C ha−1, comprising 7 to 27% of applied C) compared with the unamended control on both sites and in both seasons. Fluxes of CH4 were negligible. White clover combined with LPMS treatments did not affect soil GHG emissions. These new GHG emission factors should be integrated into life-cycle analyses to evaluate the C footprint of potential symbioses between the mining and paper industries. Future research should focus on the effect of PMS applications on soil GHG emissions from a variety of mine tailings under various management practices and climatic conditions to plan responsible and sustainable land reclamation.

Since 1950, the creation of open woodlands has increased in Canada's northeastern continuous boreal forest and recent studies have demonstrated that the mechanisms underlying their creation are similar to those found in the lichen woodland zone. Since no natural re-densification of open woodlands has been observed to date, afforestation is necessary to counteract an increase of these types of stands in the continuous boreal forest. The aim of this study was to test the operational feasibility and success of afforestation efforts in open woodlands, 10 years after planting. The experimental design included different containerized seedling stocks and site preparation approaches, such as patch and disk scarification, and covered most of the geographical range of accessible continuous boreal forest in Quebec. In open woodlands, regardless of black spruce stock size, disk scarification increased planted seedling survival and growth compared with patch scarification and direct planting, possibly due to a beneficial effect on seedling nutrition. However, even if seedling growth in open woodlands and feathermoss stands submitted to disk scarification was comparable, growth was higher in the latter stands. Nonetheless, we conclude that disk scarification followed by planting is an appropriate method to afforest boreal open woodlands.

Black spruce-lichen woodlands (LW) are naturally occurring unproductive low tree density stands within the eastern North American closed-crown boreal forest. Natural reforestation in LWs is impeded by the lichen mat and ericaceous shrubs that inhibit seedling establishment. Disk scarification is a mechanical site preparation method that creates furrows where lichens and shrubs are removed and mineral soil is exposed, which is the preferred seedbed for black spruce natural regeneration. The objective of this study was to quantify the impact of disk scarification on black spruce establishment in LWs by natural seeding. Disk scarification was performed amid scattered seed trees in six study sites located in the central area of boreal Quebec's spruce-moss bioclimatic domain. Newly established black spruce seedlings were significantly more abundant (ca. 81%; χ2 = 28.72, P < 0.001) in the furrows of scarified plots even though the proportion of disturbed soil was small (ca. 20%). Seedling establishment occurred for at least 3 years following scarification, with a peak in the first year. The distribution and density of seed trees (112‐363 stems ha−1) did not limit natural seedling establishment in this study. Five years after scarification, observed densities and stocking levels of newly established black spruce seedlings were sufficient to expect afforestation without planting in scarified LWs.

To mitigate greenhouse gas and comply with cap-and-trade systems, the carbon capture and storage (CCS) is presently unviable for industrials dealing with low concentration of CO2 emissions. Alternatively, a new offset opportunity is being analysed in Canada: the afforestation of open woodlands (OWs) in the boreal territory. The results obtained from model simulations (with CBM-CFS3) showed that afforestation of boreal OWs can be a low C-intensive mitigation activity, in particular when understory planting is the chosen silvicultural approach, so that only 8–12 years are needed to reach a net positive C balance with the afforestation of OWs. A large-scale afforestation of boreal OWs – scheduled at 20 kha per year during 20 years for a maximum of 400 kha – could provide capped industrials with a significant offset potential, for instance up to nearly 8% offset of all Quebec industrial process emissions (2009 data) after 45 years. In spite of a certain number of issues that can contribute to the uncertainty of the real environmental and economical benefits from the afforestation of OWs as a mitigation activity – most of which issues are discussed in this paper – this study presented a first glimpse at the extent to which the afforestation of boreal OWs in Quebec can provide large emitters with eventually substantial and efficient GHG offset potential, especially those emitters tied up with incompressible GHG emissions.

Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) is a system in which aircraft continually transmit their identity and GPS-derived navigational information. ADS-B networks for air traffic monitoring have already been implemented in areas around the world, but ground stations cannot be installed in midocean and are difficult to maintain in the Arctic, leaving a coverage gap for oceanic and high latitude airspace. A potential solution for worldwide tracking of aircraft is through the monitoring of aircraft-transmitted ADS-B signals using satellite-borne receivers. To investigate this possibility, a high altitude balloon experiment was carried out in June 2009 to determine if ADS-B signals can be detected from near space. The Flying Laboratory for the Observation of ADS-B Transmissions (FLOAT) was the first stratospheric platform to collect ADS-B data. The FLOAT mission successfully demonstrated the reception of ADS-B signals from near space, paving the way to the development of a space-based ADS-B system.

Social actors in arid regions must develop strategies to respond to available resources, which are scarce, variable, patchy and unpredictable relative to other regions.We explore our observations of relationships amongst people and organisations in Australian deserts using a stylised network model of the structure of social networks in arid systems. Results suggest that temporal resource variability drives increased network density, but with fewer strong ties; sparse populations drive a relatively higher proportion of strong ties, and that networks develop a hub configuration as resource endowments become more patchy spatially. These ideas highlight some issues that warrant improved understanding by actors seeking to enhance livelihoods and local resilience in these extreme environments. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has identified Australia as among the developed nations most at risk from climate change effects. Key tourism icon destinations and the tourism sector generally have been identified as being particularly at risk. This paper reports on an interdisciplinary, multi-case study approach to assess tourism stakeholders' knowledge of, and approaches to, climate change adaptation and to explore the potential for building a self-assessment toolkit that can be exported to other tourism destinations. This study examined existing knowledge on anticipated biophysical changes and, through primary research (stakeholder interviews and social learning workshops), gauged the expected adaptive approaches of destination communities and the tourism sector to these changes for 2020, 2050 and 2070. The facilitated workshops generated a common set of adaptation strategies across a diverse set of tourist destinations. A key finding from the workshops is that the tourism sector is not yet ready to invest in climate change adaptation because of the perceived uncertainties. Ongoing leadership for such measures were seen to rest with the public sector, especially local authorities. Whether such assessments can be self-generated or require specialist facilitation remains open to debate.

Despite the fact that the interface between wildlife and tourism has attracted increasing academic scrutiny, it has also been recognized that destination-level strategic marketing and planning constitute the least developed aspect of wildlife tourism management. The paper argues that this is partly due to ongoing challenges linked with integrating the needs of a tourism industry management perspective with those of wildlife resources planning, in particular when the diversity and distinctiveness of wildlife tourism destination types is acknowledged. The paper uses the findings emanating from the recent wildlife tourism literature (in particular on the nature of motivations of tourists participating in wildlife viewing experiences) to examine the basis for destination competitiveness in that area, and to investigate ensuing planning challenges. Subsequently, the paper examines a simple case study (wildlife-viewing in the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia) where knowledge integration issues for...

This paper argues that it is inappropriate to portray tourism organisation as involving the coordination of firms producing conventional well-defined commodities with marginally differentiated technologies as in a conventional industry. A number of alternative theories of corporate and industrial organization are contrasted with respect to their applicability to the imperfectly specified tourism commodity. A perspective on firms and industry which emphasizes the coordination of changing technological and marketing competencies through network relationships is believed to be particularly suitable to represent the tourism learning system and to provide an alternative outlook on tourism industry, coordination and organizational structures.

Open lichen woodlands (LWs) are degraded stands that lack the ability to regenerate naturally due to a succession of natural and/or anthropogenic disturbances. As they represent both interesting forest restoration and carbon sequestration opportunities, we tested disc scarification and planting of two sizes of containerized black spruce (Picea mariana Mill. (BSP)) seedlings for their afforestation. We compared treatment of unproductive LWs to reforestation of harvested, closed-crown black spruce-feathermoss (BSFM) stands. After one year, seedling survival and nutritional status were equivalent among stand types but despite higher root elongation index (REI), planted seedlings in LWs had lower relative growth rate, smaller total biomass and stem diameter than those in BSFM stands. Soil fertility variables, soil temperature, nor seedling water potential, helped at explaining this early growth response. Disc scarification significantly improved seedling first-year survival, biomass and foliar nutrient concentrations of P, Ca, and Mg. Smaller planting stock showed higher REI, higher shoot water potential, and higher foliar nutrient concentration of all but one of the measured nutrients (N, P, K and Mg). Hence, preliminary results suggest that planting of smaller containerized black spruce stock, combined with disc scarification, shows potential for afforestation of unproductive LWs. The impact of the lichen mat and other potential growth limiting factors on afforestation of these sites requires further investigation.

This paper explores the ambiguous role that the notion of organisational capital has played in economic theory. It suggests that because economists have paid little attention to dynamic processes which differentiate between the growth of technological and organisational knowledge, they have been slow at developing theories adequately relating the boundaries of the firm to their ability to innovate. Also, recent contributions by economists have been converging towards representing firms as learning organisations, whose capacity to survive and evolve is both enhanced and limited by the codes they use to interpret their environments. These learning codes allow firms to select competencies and choose their boundaries, the essential role of organisational capital.

There are various ways to explain the structure of an industry and the organisational structures and forms within it. In this paper we explain organisational diversity in the hospitality industry with the cultural attributes of markets to be catered. An approach based on Grid-Group analysis is outlined and a basic model linking these dimensions to product strategy and organisational structure is suggested. Various domestic and outbound markets are contrasted in terms of their cultural attributes to determine whether the predictions of the theory about observable structures hold.

The current literature on peripheral tourism appears conceptually weak for its inability to distinguish between different types of “peripheral” destinations. This review article argues that “remote” destinations have intrinsically different characteristics compared to peripheral ones and require different theoretical approaches to better explain the dynamics of tourism in remote areas. The review builds on theoretical models from the fields of economic geography and political economy, which have been largely absent from peripheral research in Tourism Studies in the past. In particular, the Canadian “staples thesis” is seen by these authors to offer some valuable insights into the unique patterns of economic development and core–periphery relationships in remote areas. They argue that while peripheral areas usually have entrenched relationships with a clearly defined core, remote areas are characterized by “disconnectedness” and face substantial challenges in establishing viable connections with other places. This review article thereby suggests that understanding the processes and implications of connection seeking is critical if tourism is to provide an effective tool for economic development in remote areas.

Le domaine bioclimatique de la pessiere noire a mousses du Quebec est parseme de milieux ouverts presentant un fort recouvrement au sol en lichens qui portent le nom de denudes sec a cladonies (DSc). Ce type de milieu est souvent cree par des accidents de regeneration survenus dans des peuplements d'epinette noire (Picea mariana Mill) ayant subi des perturbations successives au cours d'un intervalle de temps ne permettant pas la constitution d'une banque de graines viables en quantite suffisante pour regenerer les peuplements a leur densite initiale. La reconstitution de l'historique de certains de ces sites demontre qu'ils ont deja supporte des peuplements plus denses et plus productifs, ce qui laisse supposer qu'un amenagement et des travaux sylvicoles appropries pourraient conduire a une remise en production. La recolte, le scarifiage et le reboisement ont donc ete appliques sur 6 peuplements de ce type et six pessieres a mousses (PM) fermees adjacente (temoin) afin de tester cette hypothese. Les plants de reboisement (deux gabarits, IPL 67-50 et IPL 126-25) ont ete mis en terre dans des sillons de scarifiage et dans des sentiers de debardage. Un an apres la plantation, les plants des PM presentent une croissance plus elevee que ceux des DSc mais ne presentent aucune difference au niveau du contenu foliaire en nutriments et des echanges gazeux. Le scarifiage pour sa part a augmente la survie, la hauteur et la biomasse totale des plants. Pour ce qui est des gabarits de plants, une difference dans l'indice d'elongation racinaire (REI) a conduit a des differences au niveau des statuts hydrique et nutritionnel favorisant les plants de plus petites dimensions. Les resultats a court terme (1 an) suggerent que la remise en production des DSc est envisageable lorsqu'une preparation de terrain adequate est appliquee. Certaines limitations a la croissance semblent toutefois affecter les plants des DSc durant la phase d'etablissement, ce qui meriterait un approfondissement dans les travaux a venir.

This chapter introduces the main applications of geographical information systems (GIS) as well as their specific applications in tourism and recreation planning in natural environments. A case study is presented on the application of GIS in wildlife tourism in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is argued that GIS is particularly useful for evaluating the appeal to tourists of a particular place or region, for predicting the number of potential visitors to a recreational area, or for assessing the impact of tourists on wildlife. Such information can help to identify ecological and tourism hotspots and in doing so make a valuable contribution to conservation and public policy concerns.

The impact of rapidly developing communication and information technologies (CITs) has been increasingly recognized in tourism and retailing circles and has led to alarming statements concerning the future of tourism [19]. But there have been few attempts to systematically predict the evolution of tourism marketing and production systems or even to model possible tourism futures. This is surely largely explained by the breadth and depth of the methodological challenges involved and the inextricable nature of tourism as an object of study. This paper explores first the methodological reasons behind the overwhelming difficulties associated with prophesying the future of tourism, emphasizing the relationships between technological considerations and other socio-economic variables shaping the tourism phenomenon. After examining the potential roles played by diverse stakeholders affecting the tourism system, the paper focuses on the specific role of CITs in shaping the production, distribution and consumption of tourism. The paper then explores a recently developed categorization of CITs and uses it to differentiate between types of technological innovations and ultimately distinguish between evolving techno-industrial domains on the basis of the most likely evolutionary drivers. The paper then suggests a primary mapping of various technological developments (CIT-related) identified as critical in the tourism literature and speculates about the main factors driving the changes in tourism technological and industrial organization.

Network Analysis and Tourism – From Theory to Practice, by Noel Scott, Rodolfo Baggio and Chris Cooper. Clevedon, UK, Channel View Publications, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-1-84541-088-9 (hbk); ISBN-13: 978-1-84541-087-2 (pbk)

This paper claims that for wildlife-rich destinations such as the Northern Territory, the analytical focus of wildlife tourism research ought to shift from that of the tourist–animal encounter (in terms of personal motivations, impact on the animal welfare, etc.) towards that of habitat sustainability, multiple uses and larger-scale impacts on those habitats. This paper overviews selected findings emanating from wildlife tourism research related to visitor behaviour, marketing and economic activity undertaken around the wetlands of Northern Australia. In its final part, the paper suggests that the concept of ‘landscape’ constitutes an appropriate and under-utilised analytical device connecting in a workable scale the most relevant management issues associated with wildlife in multiple uses context, and that this allows to address jointly wildlife tourism marketing and planning considerations.

The principal contention of this paper is that the traditional approach to park management is inadequate to deal with the contemporary goals of protected areas, in particular, biodiversity conservation, cultural heritage management and the management of socio-economic development within parks. This is particularly true for parks in remote regions like Central Australia, where management on a broader scale is required. The benefits of park management embracing a regional approach to development and conservation are examined. This paper also identifies some serious restrictions to development. Parks rely heavily on abstract management plans, and do not have a transparent framework through which to set objectives and targets. These objectives would allow parks to evaluate their organisation’s performance. Iconic landscape assets dominate the tourism economy in Central Australia. The number of different institutions managing parks has hampered the establishment of a valuation framework. This framework would allow regional resource allocation decisions to be assessed and parks’ performances to be monitored. Proper assessment and monitoring would strengthen the case for additional park funding to pursue conservation and development responsibilities.

This paper examines potential improvements in measures of international travel demand elasticities by pooling cross sections and time series of travel receipts. International travel receipts for 18 European countries are pooled and estimates of elasticities with respect to income, exchange rates, relative prices, transport costs, and number of terrorism events are computed. Indexes are developed for the purpose of measuring and aggregating transport costs and terrorism. The results show that the responses to changes in these variables are significantly different across countries. When the countries are constrained to have the same elasticities, but the constants are allowed to be different, it is found that all variables affect tourism in the expected direction and are statistically significant.

The Canadian multiculturalism policy of 1971 became a law in 1988. This text analyses the different critics of the former policy that influenced the elaboration of the 1988 law. It also presents an analysis of the dimensions of that law, which endeavors to be a compromise between pluralism and integration.