Vegetation Management Alternatives in Boreal and Temperate Forests:What Do We Know About  Releasing Conifers? 

Speakers:

F. Wayne Bell, forest ecology research scientist, OFRI

Alan Wiensczyk, ecosystem and stand management extension specialist, FORREX Kandyd Szuba, biologist, Forest Products Group, Domtar Inc.,

3:00—4:30 pmJanuary 13, 2010

Ontario Forest Research Institute

Purpose of Presentations

This following presentations will provide an overview of a multi-agency project that will be completed in 2010.

The presentations are designed to make you aware of the type of work that is being completed.

Agenda

Introduction – Wayne Bell Synthesis of literature – Alan Wiensczyk Stand level analyses – Wayne Bell Landscape level analyses – Kandyd Szuba Summary – Wayne Bell

Questions and Answers - All

Introduction

The project has involved: Updating the Canadian Forest Management Database, Synthesizing relevant vegetation management literature, Conducting yield and cost:benefit analyses, and Conducting landscape-level analyses related to alternatives

for releasing conifers.

The synthesis included but was not limited to research carried out in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec since 1990.

Emphasis was placed on techniques for releasing conifers (i.e., black spruce, white spruce, jack pine, lodgepole pine, red pine, and white pine) from herbaceous and woody competitive vegetation.

Introduction

IntroductionProject Partners

Multi-agency partnership consisting of

NGOs: Forestry Research Partnership (CEC-FRP), FORREX, Spatial Planning Systems, and National Council for Air and Stream Improvement - Canadian Operations (NCASI).

Universities: Lakehead University (LU), Université de Moncton, and University of Guelph (U of G).

Forest industries: Domtar Inc. - Forest Products Group (Domtar), and Tembec Enterprizes Inc. - Forest Resource Management Group (Tembec).

Governments: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR), Quebec Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune (QcMNRF), and Natural Resources Canada-Canadian Forest Service (NRCan-CFS),

IntroductionPrimary Deliverable

A 100+ page technical information report of current information on vegetation management alternatives that includes an executive summary and six technical sections.

1) Why practice forest vegetation management? 2) What are the alternatives and their silvicultural

effectiveness?

3) What are the environmental consequences of using silviculturally effective alternatives?

4) What are the social issues associated with using silviculturally effective alternatives?

5) What are the cost implications of silviculturally effective alternatives?

6) What are the landscape-level implications of Implementing Integrated Forest Vegetation Management Alternatives?

IntroductionSix Sections

Vegetation Management Alternatives

Section I: Why practice forest vegetation

management?

Why Vegetation Management?

Reduce competition for moisture, nutrients and light.

Maintain the presence of conifers in the ecosystem

Why Vegetation Management?Jack Pine Ecology - Light Requirements

(Source: Logan 1966)

Height (inches yr 4)Height (inches)

Figure 4. Growth (per ha) of white pine seedlings through 10 growing seasons after planting. Plotted values are least squares means from ANOVA. Treatments include competition with balsam fir (B), bracken fern (F), and beaked hazel (H), in all combinations (absent competitors indicated by (/)). Contrasts among treatments grouped by square brackets are referenced by p-values from ANOVA ((a) among single competitors; (b) among pairs; (c) no competitors vs. single competitors, (d) singles vs. pairs; and (e) pairs vs. all three). The approximate standard error (SE) for an individual treatment mean in year 10 is shown.

Stem volume (dm3/ha)

Age

///

//F

B//

/H/

/HFB/FBH/

BHF

p =0.01c

p =0.02d

p =0.14a

p =0.94e

p =0.87b

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

p =0.16

SE~143 dm3/ha

Crown closure (%)

Age

/////F

B//

/H//HF

B/FBH/BHF

p =0.29c

p =0.01d

p =0.16a

p =0.81e

p =0.66bp <0.01

SE~2.7%

Why Vegetation Management? Planted Pw Stem Volume Growth

Why Vegetation Management?(VMAP) Goals

“ to develop approaches to managing forest vegetation that could reduce dependence on herbicides in Ontario’s forests”

“to determine economically- and ecologically-sound vegetation management practices that are socially acceptable”

“to advance forest regeneration knowledge and further all aspects of forest vegetation management”