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 11654

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
Send to email
Vesterinen E., (1942) Hiking in forests Acta Forestalia Fennica vol. 50 no. 13 article id 7366 (remove) | Edit comment
Pukkala T., Kolström T. (1991) Effect of spatial pattern of trees on the growth.. Silva Fennica vol. 25 no. 3 article id 5449 (remove) | Edit comment
Rantala M., Hujala T. et al. (2012) Measuring and monitoring socio-cultural sustaina.. Silva Fennica vol. 46 no. 3 article id 52 (remove) | Edit comment
Lindfors J., (1954) Long-distance transport of saw logs in Finland Acta Forestalia Fennica vol. 61 no. 22 article id 7434 (remove) | Edit comment
Päivänen J., (1966) Distribution of rainfall in different types of f.. Silva Fennica vol. no. 119 article id 4732 (remove) | Edit comment
Yli-Vakkuri P., (1968) Book review: Produksjon av skogspanter Silva Fennica vol. 2 no. 4 article id 4781 (remove) | Edit comment
Seppälä K., (1971) The quantity of fertilizer and application metho.. Silva Fennica vol. 5 no. 2 article id 4838 (remove) | Edit comment
Korpela I., Tuomola T. et al. (2008) Appraisal of seedling stand vegetation with airb.. Silva Fennica vol. 42 no. 5 article id 466 (remove) | Edit comment
Valsta Lauri., (1992) An optimization model for Norway spruce manageme.. Acta Forestalia Fennica vol. 0 no. 232 article id 7678 (remove) | Edit comment
Peteh M., (2020) A synthesis of the characteristics of current na.. Silva Fennica vol. 54 no. 3 article id 10350 (remove) | Edit comment
Kärkkäinen M., (1974) Note on the volume based on the mean of butt and.. Silva Fennica vol. 8 no. 2 article id 4899 (remove) | Edit comment
Sione S. M.J., Ledesma S. G. et al. (2022) Biomass Carbon and Nitrogen allocation in differ.. Silva Fennica vol. 56 no. 4 article id 10757 (remove) | Edit comment
Ollinmaa P. J., (1959) Study on reaction wood Acta Forestalia Fennica vol. 72 no. 1 article id 7118 (remove) | Edit comment
Lõhmus A., Lõhmus P. (2011) Old-forest species: the importance of specific s.. Silva Fennica vol. 45 no. 5 article id 84 (remove) | Edit comment
Jylhä P., Rikkonen P. et al. (2020) Size matters – an analysis of business models an.. Silva Fennica vol. 54 no. 4 article id 10392 (remove) | Edit comment
Rytter L., Ingerslev M. et al. (2016) Increased forest biomass production in the Nordi.. Silva Fennica vol. 50 no. 5 article id 1660 (remove) | Edit comment
Haeussler S., Bedford L. et al. (2002) Silvicultural disturbance severity and plant com.. Silva Fennica vol. 36 no. 1 article id 565 (remove) | Edit comment
Your search results