is current forest management sustainable for the canadian boreal forest ? biodiversity and timber...
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IS CURRENT FOREST MANAGEMENT SUSTAINABLE FOR THE CANADIAN BOREAL
FOREST ?Biodiversity and Timber
production issues
YVES BERGERONUniversité du Québec en Abitibi-
Témiscamingue
Collaborators
Sylvie Gauthier: Canadian Forest ServiceMike Flannigan: Canadian forest service Alain Leduc: Université du Québec à MontréalPatrick Lefort: Universié du Québec à Montréal
SEVERE FIRE WITH EVEN AGED POST-FIRE COHORT
ECOZONE
Fire frequency in Canadian boreal forest
Burn rates (%)Past Current 2X co2 3X co2
# Ecozones (CCC) (CCC)
14 Montane Cordillera 0.667 0.047 0.000 0.000
51 Taiga Shield (w) 0.855 1.202 1.635 2.550
52 Taiga Shield (E) 0.600 0.058 0.079 0.122
61 Boreal Shield (W) 1.900 0.500 0.620 0.827
9 Boreal Plains 1.000 0.066 0.717 0.724
62 Boreal Shield (E) 0.870 0.086 0.100 0.140
0.00%
0.50%
1.00%
1.50%
2.00%
0.00% 0.50% 1.00% 1.50% 2.00%
Current annual burn rate
Pas
t ann
ual b
urn
rate
Current burn rate is lower than past burn rate:a real substitution is
expectable.
Current burn rate is higher than past burn rate: fire control must be efficient
to expect a real substitution.
Yield constraints
Bio
dive
rsity
con
stra
ints
Yield constraints
Biodiversity & Yield constraints
Biodiversity constraints
Low constraint
Mean Past & current burn ratesby ecozone
Current burn rates (%)0.01 0.1 1 10
Pa
st b
urn
ra
tes
(%)
0.01
0.1
1
10
current vs Past
Montana Cordillera
Taiga Shield (E)
Boreal Shield (E)
Boreal Shield (W)Boreal Plains
Taiga Shield (W)
AREA BURNED PROJECTIONS (log scale)
AREA BURNED PROJECTIONS
• Using results from Ecozones monthly analysis we projected future monthly area burned for the middle of the century and the end of this century for the Canadian and Hadley GCMs
• 75-120% increase in area burned by the end of this century according to the Canadian and Hadley models respectively
CCC –2xCO2
AREA BURNED PROJECTIONS
CCC –3xCO2 Hadley –3xCO2
AREA BURNED PROJECTIONS (log scale)
Current burn rates & future burn rates of the CCC models
Current and future burn rates (%)
0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10
Pa
st b
urn
ra
tes
(%)
0.1
1
10
Current vs Past 2Xco2 vs Past 3xco2 vs Past
Boreal Shield (W)
Taiga Shield (W)
Boreal Plains
Boreal Shield (E)Montane Cordillera
Taiga Shield (E)
WORKING HYPOTHESIS
Natural disturbance paradigm
• Some SFM goals may be attained by using natural disturbance and forest dynamics as a template for silviculture
Conceptual model of the relationship between coarse and fine filters in habitat management
A coarse filter operates at avariety of spatial scales to: • provide habitat for a very broad range of
wildlife• to support interactions among species• to facilitate ecosystem processes
A fine filter may be required for species whose needs are not captured by the coarse filter Biodiversity is most likely to be conserved by hierarchical application of both filters on the landscape from: Forest management guide for natural disturbance pattern emulation
Natural stand dynamics in the Mixedwood zone
FireBudworm
BudwormFire
Fire
Fire
1st cohort 2nd cohort 3rd cohort
Aspen(mesic- subhydric)
W. birch(mesic)
NORMAL FOREST ROTATION
• A fully regulated forest with a rotation of 100 years has an equal distribution of stand ages that do not exceed 100 years. 0
510
150 100 200 300
Age of stands
Are
a(%
)
FOREST REGULATION
• Proportion of stands over 100 and 200 years is relatively high. Fully regulated even-aged forest on a 100-year rotation would only include 40% of the natural variability.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
>100 >200 >300
Time since fire (yrs)
area
%
0.00%
0.50%
1.00%
1.50%
2.00%
0.00% 0.50% 1.00% 1.50% 2.00%
Current annual burn rate
Pas
t ann
ual b
urn
rate
Current burn rate is lower than past burn rate:a real substitution is
expectable.
Current burn rate is higher than past burn rate: fire control must be efficient
to expect a real substitution.
Yield constraints
Bio
dive
rsity
con
stra
ints
Yield constraints
Biodiversity & Yield constraints
Biodiversity constraints
Low constraint
Mean Past & current burn ratesby ecozone
Current burn rates (%)0.01 0.1 1 10
Pa
st b
urn
ra
tes
(%)
0.01
0.1
1
10
current vs Past
Montana Cordillera
Taiga Shield (E)
Boreal Shield (E)
Boreal Shield (W)Boreal Plains
Taiga Shield (W)
AREA BURNED PROJECTIONS (log scale)
Fire frequency in Canadian boreal forest
Burn rates (%)Past Current 2X co2 3X co2
# Ecozones (CCC) (CCC)
14 Montane Cordillera 0.667 0.047 0.000 0.000
51 Taiga Shield (w) 0.855 1.202 1.635 2.550
52 Taiga Shield (E) 0.600 0.058 0.079 0.122
61 Boreal Shield (W) 1.900 0.500 0.620 0.827
9 Boreal Plains 1.000 0.066 0.717 0.724
62 Boreal Shield (E) 0.870 0.086 0.100 0.140