Full text of this article is only available in PDF format.

Sybille Haeussler (email), Lorne Bedford, Alain Leduc, Yves Bergeron, J. Marty Kranabetter

Silvicultural disturbance severity and plant communities of the southern Canadian boreal forest

Haeussler S., Bedford L., Leduc A., Bergeron Y., Kranabetter J. M. (2002). Silvicultural disturbance severity and plant communities of the southern Canadian boreal forest. Silva Fennica vol. 36 no. 1 article id 565. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.565

Abstract

Boreal forest ecosystems are adapted to periodic disturbance, but there is widespread concern that conventional forest practises degrade plant communities. We examined vegetation diversity and composition after clearcut logging, mechanical and chemical site preparation in eight 5- to 12-yr old studies located in southern boreal forests of British Columbia and Quebec, Canada to find useful indicators for monitoring ecosystem integrity and to provide recommendations for the development and testing of new silvicultural approaches. Community-wide and species-specific responses were measured across gradients of disturbance severity and the results were explained in terms of the intermediate disturbance hypothesis and a simple regeneration model based on plant life history strategies. Species richness was 30 to 35% higher 5 to 8 years after clearcut logging than in old forest. Total and vascular species diversity generally peaked on moderately severe site treatments, while non-vascular diversity declined with increasing disturbance severity. On more-or-less mesic sites, there was little evidence of diversity loss within the range of conventional silvicultural disturbances; however, there were important changes in plant community composition. Removing soil organic layers caused a shift from residual and resprouting understory species to ruderal species regenerating from seeds and spores. Severe treatments dramatically increased non-native species invasion. Two important challenges for the proposed natural dynamics-based silviculture will be 1) to find ways of maintaining populations of sensitive non-vascular species and forest mycoheterotrophs, and 2) to create regeneration niches for disturbance-dependent indigenous plants without accelerating non-native species invasion.

Keywords
site preparation; species composition; species diversity; ecosystem integrity; degradation; biodiversity indicators; life history strategies

Author Info
  • Haeussler, C2 Site 81 RR#2 Monckton Rd., Smithers, B.C., Canada V0J 2N0 E-mail skeena@bulkley.net (email)
  • Bedford, B.C. Ministry of Forests, P.O. Box 9513 Stn. Prov. Govt., Victoria, B.C., Canada, V8W 9C2 E-mail lb@nn.ca
  • Leduc, Groupe de recherche en écologie forestière interuniversitaire, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP 8888, Succursale A, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3C 3P8 E-mail al@nn.ca
  • Bergeron, Groupe de recherche en écologie forestière interuniversitaire, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP 8888, Succursale A, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3C 3P8 E-mail yb@nn.ca
  • Kranabetter, B.C. Ministry of Forests, Bag 5000, Smithers, B.C., Canada, V0J 2N0 E-mail jmk@nn.ca

Received 15 November 2000 Accepted 24 January 2002 Published 31 December 2002

Views 6444

Available at https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.565 | Download PDF

Creative Commons License CC BY-SA 4.0

Register
Click this link to register to Silva Fennica.
Log in
If you are a registered user, log in to save your selected articles for later access.
Contents alert
Sign up to receive alerts of new content

Your selected articles
Your search results
Splawinski T. B., Gauthier S. et al. (2018) The colonization of young fire initiated stands .. Silva Fennica vol. 52 no. 1 article id 7791
Fenton N. J., Bergeron Y. (2011) Dynamic old-growth forests? A case study of bore.. Silva Fennica vol. 45 no. 5 article id 82
Bélisle A. C., Gauthier S. et al. (2011) Fire regime and old-growth boreal forests in cen.. Silva Fennica vol. 45 no. 5 article id 77
Lafleur B., Fenton N. J. et al. (2010) Contrasting effects of season and method of harv.. Silva Fennica vol. 44 no. 5 article id 122
Légaré S., Bergeron Y. et al. (2002) Influence of forest composition on understory co.. Silva Fennica vol. 36 no. 1 article id 567
Haeussler S., Bedford L. et al. (2002) Silvicultural disturbance severity and plant com.. Silva Fennica vol. 36 no. 1 article id 565
Harper K. A., Bergeron Y. et al. (2002) Post-fire development of canopy structure and co.. Silva Fennica vol. 36 no. 1 article id 561
Groot A., Gauthier S. et al. (2004) Stand dynamics modelling approaches for multicoh.. Silva Fennica vol. 38 no. 4 article id 411
Bergeron Y., Leduc A. et al. (2002) Natural fire regime: a guide for sustainable man.. Silva Fennica vol. 36 no. 1 article id 553