Coarse woody debris in sub-boreal spruce forests of west-central British Columbia

Clark, Daniel; Kneeshaw, Daniel; Burton, P. J.; Antos, Joseph A.

doi:10.1139/x97-208

Cited by 66 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…In earlier studies, snag abundance has been observed to follow a well-defined U-shaped pattern over stand age. This pattern is characterized by high volume of snags in stands recently disturbed by fire, few snags in actively growing stands, and an increasing snag abundance in ageing stands as canopy trees become progressively senescent (e.g., Harmon et al 1986, Spies and Franklin 1988, Tyrrell and Crow 1994, Clark et al 1998). In the course of this long-term stand development, other forest attributes may change, including species composition and tree size distribution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snag characteristics and cavity-nesting birds in the unmanaged post-fire northeastern Canadian boreal forest

Lowe¹,

Pleurdeau²,

Savard³

et al. 2011

Silva Fenn.

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We studied the availability and characteristics of snags and their use by cavity-nesting birds in the northeastern part of the Canadian boreal forest. We built up two long-term (> 200 years) chronosequences following time since the last fire in the unmanaged boreal forest of northeastern Québec, one in the balsam fir-white birch domain (southern region) and one in the spruce-mosses domain (northern region). We then sampled and characterized snags and live trees in 30 stands from each of these two chronosequences. We also looked for nest cavities on all sampled snags, performed bird inventories by point counts, and calculated tree mortality rate from permanent sample plots. Results show that mortality rates follow a U-shaped pattern, with more snags of large diameter (> 20 cm DBH) in young (< 50 years) and in old (> 200 years) forests. In the latter, we also found more nest cavities than in any other age classes. Although abundance of primary cavity nesters (excavating species) did not vary among age classes, secondary cavity nesters (using cavities already available) tend to be more numerous in older forests. Our results highlight the capacity for young and old-growth forests to provide quality habitat for species that are dependent on large snags. Proper forest management should maintain a mosaic of different age forest stands, including snags, to promote biodiversity and provide important resources for resident bird species.Keywords snags, cavity nesting birds, boreal forests, old-growth, long term chronosequence, time since fire, mortality rate, basal area Addresses Lowe and Pothier, Centre d'étude de la forêt, Département des sciences du bois et de la forêt, Pavillon Abitibi-Price,

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snag characteristics and cavity-nesting birds in the unmanaged post-fire northeastern Canadian boreal forest

Lowe¹,

Pleurdeau²,

Savard³

et al. 2011

Silva Fenn.

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“…The species of snag was determined when possible and the degree of decay was estimated using a six-class system from Lee et al (1995). Stand age was determined by taking increment cores from all 20 live trees in each sampled stand and assigning the stand age to equal the oldest tree that was no more than 10 years older than another tree in the stand (Clark et al 1998). The diameter of all downed woody material (DWM) greater than 10 cm was measured along five equally spaced and parallel 20-m long transects, two of which formed the boundaries of the larger 20-m 2 sampling quadrat.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Advanced stages of forest succession lead to canopy break-up, release of understorey plants, accumulation of snags and downed logs, and the emergence of secondary canopy species (Peterson et al 1995, Schneider 2000. Typically, structural diversity is greatest in older forest stands (Clark et al 1998, Burton et al 1999, Lee et al 2000. This diversity tends to result in diverse plant and wildlife communities that differ significantly from those found in younger stands (Farr 1993, Roy et al 1995, Kirk et al 1996, Gandhi et al 2001.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differentiating mature and old-growth forests in the Upper Foothills and Subalpine Subregions of west-central Alberta

Morgantini¹,

Kansas²

2003

The Forestry Chronicle

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. is developing harvest strategies that will maintain appropriate levels of late to very late seral stages ("old growth") in its Drayton Valley Forest Management Area. This management area encompasses 490 570 ha in the Foothills and Rocky Mountain Natural Regions of west-central Alberta. In planning for future forest landscapes, Weyerhaeuser intends to maintain a range of age structures consistent with the ecological processes characteristic of each natural region and subregion. The absence of a discrete point separating mature forest from old growth means that the age at which a stand is currently identified as "old growth" and subject to special management practices is arbitrary. In a research study initiated in the summer of 2000, we seek to understand the differences in structure and composition between forests of various ages and topographic site conditions (elevation, aspect, and slope angle). Using 95 sampling plots in a 123-km 2 study area in the Upper Foothills and Subalpine Natural Subregions, we quantified vegetation structure and composition for stands ranging in age from 70 to 300 years. Variables measured and analysed included live-tree height and diameter, snag density, diameter and decay class, downed woody material volume, diameter and decay class, vascular plant species richness, sapling and regeneration density, and duff depth. An old-growth index was developed for each sampled stand that took into account multiple attributes. Preliminary results indicate that specific attributes (snag basal area and density, decay stage and density of downed woody material, variation in live-tree age, and variation in live-tree height and age) separate a younger forest from a more mature one and hence may describe "old-growth" conditions. The age of onset of these old-growth attributes is variable but appears to occur between 160 and 180 years. Key factors other than stand age that contribute to or modify the development of old-growth attributes (as measured by the old-growth index) are elevation and moisture regime (as modified by site position). Further investigation is required to more accurately assess the effect of site factors on old-growth attributes. These results are now used by Weyerhaeuser to address retention of late seral stages in long-term forest planning.Key words: old growth, mature forests, old growth protection, forest management, Alberta, Weyerhaeuser, Rocky Mountains foothills La société Weyerhaeuser Ltd. met au point des stratégies de récolte qui conserveront les quantités convenables de stades sériaux d'âgés à très âgés (« vieilles forêts ») dans sa zone d'aménagement forestier de Drayton Valley. Cette ZAF couvre 490 570 ha des régions naturelles des Rocheuses et de leurs contreforts, dans le Centre-Ouest de l'Alberta. Dans la planification des futurs paysages forestiers, Weyerhaeuser a l'intention de maintenir toute une gamme de structures d'âges compatibles avec les processus écologiques caractéristiques de chaque région et sous-région naturelles. L'absence d'un point précis séparant ...

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“…Stem exclusion with stand maturation, one of the main factors regenerating snags, is also closely related to stand age (Oliver andLarsen 1996, Lee et al 1997). Relationships between snag abundance and stand age in managed forests vary from insignificant and inconsistent (Clark et al 1998, Grove 2001, DeWalt et al 2003 to positive (Mannan et al 1980, Sturtevant et al 1997, Lee 1998, Hale et al 1999). However, because these studies were not conducted in plantations, similar studies in plantations are required to develop ecologically sustainable plantation management guidelines.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snag abundance and species composition in a managed forest landscape in central Japan composed of Larix kaempferi plantations and secondary broadleaf forests

Nagaike¹

2009

Silva Fenn.

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Larix kaempferi is the main plantation species in the low-snow, cool-temperate zone of Japan. I studied L. kaempferi plantations of various stand ages in central Japan to examine and compare the effect of stand age on the abundance, size, and species composition of snags (standing dead trees) compared to those in secondary broadleaf forests. Plantations that were older than the standard rotation age had more and larger snags than young plantations, and the species diversity of snags was positively correlated with stand age. Because the density of living planted L. kaempferi showed little correlation with snag variables, whereas that of naturally regenerated tree species was positively correlated with snag variables, the density dependence of snag occurrence was stronger in naturally regenerated trees than in planted L. kaempferi. Snag species that were positively correlated with stand age were the main species in secondary broadleaf forests in this area. Basal area, density, and number of species of snags in standard-rotation plantations were significantly lower than in long-rotation plantations and secondary broadleaf forests. Long-rotation plantations are useful for retaining snags compared to standard-rotation plantations.

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Coarse woody debris in sub-boreal spruce forests of west-central British Columbia

Cited by 66 publications

References 18 publications

Snag characteristics and cavity-nesting birds in the unmanaged post-fire northeastern Canadian boreal forest

Snag characteristics and cavity-nesting birds in the unmanaged post-fire northeastern Canadian boreal forest

Differentiating mature and old-growth forests in the Upper Foothills and Subalpine Subregions of west-central Alberta

Snag abundance and species composition in a managed forest landscape in central Japan composed of Larix kaempferi plantations and secondary broadleaf forests

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