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Forest Ecosystems 2018, 5(4): 30 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40663-018-0148-9
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Have some landscapes in the eastern Canadian boreal forest moved beyond their natural range of variability?

Show Author's Information Pierre Grondin1( ),  Sylvie Gauthier2,  Poirier Véronique1,  Patricer Tardif1,  Yan Boucher1,  SYvesylvie Bergeron3,4
Direction de la Recherche Forestière, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs (MFFP), 2 700 rue Einstein, Québec, QC G1P 3W8, Canada
Ressources Naturelles Canada/Natural Resources Canada, Service Canadien des forêts/Canadian Forest Service, Centre de foresterie des Laurentides/ Laurentian Forestry Center, 1055 rue du P.E.P.S, Québec, QC G1V 4C7, Canada
Institut de Recherche sur les Forêts, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, 445, boul. de l'Université, Rouyn-Noranda, QC J9X 5E4, Canada
Centre d'étude de la Forêt, Université du Québec, Montréal CP 8888 succ A, Montréal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada
Keywords:
Resilience, Landscape, Forest dynamics, Ecosystem management, Reference conditions, Natural variability, Fire cycle, Age structure, Potential vegetation type
Cite this article:
Grondin P, Gauthier S, Véronique P, et al. Have some landscapes in the eastern Canadian boreal forest moved beyond their natural range of variability?. Forest Ecosystems, 2018, 5(4): 30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40663-018-0148-9
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Abstract Full text About this article
Background

In the context of ecosystem management, the present study aims to compare the natural and the present-day forested landscapes of a large territory in Quebec (Canada). Using contemporary and long-term fire cycles, each natural forest landscape is defined according to the variability of its structure and composition, and compared to the present-day landscape. This analysis was conducted to address the question of whether human activities have moved these ecosystems outside the range of natural landscape variability.

Methods

The study encompassed a forested area of 175 000 km2 divided into 14 landscapes. Using a framework that integrates fire cycles, age structure and forest dynamics, we characterized the forest composition and age structures that resulted from three historical fire cycles (110, 140, and 180 years) representative of the boreal forest of eastern Canada. The modeled natural landscapes were compared with present-day landscapes in regard to the proportion of old-growth forests (landscape level) and the proportion of late-successional forest stands (landscape level and potential vegetation type).

Results

Four landscapes (39%) remain within their natural range of variability. In contrast, nine landscapes (54%) show a large gap between natural and present-day landscapes. These nine are located in the southern portion of the study area, and are mainly associated with Abies-Betula vegetation where human activities have contributed to a strong increase in the proportion of Populus tremuloides stands (early-successional stages) and a decrease of old-growth forest stands (more than 100 years old). A single landscape (7%), substantially changed from its potential natural state, is a candidate for adaptive-based management.

Conclusion

Comparison of corresponding natural (reference conditions) and present-day landscapes showed that ten landscapes reflecting an important shift in forest composition and age structure could be considered beyond the range of their natural variability. The description of a landscape’s natural variability at the scale of several millennia can be considered a moving benchmark that can be re-evaluated in the context of climate change. Focusing on regional landscape characteristics and long-term natural variability of vegetation and forest age structure represents a step forward in methodology for defining reference conditions and following shifts in landscape over time.


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About this article

Have some landscapes in the eastern Canadian boreal forest moved beyond their natural range of variability?

Show Author's information Pierre Grondin1( ), Sylvie Gauthier2, Poirier Véronique1, Patricer Tardif1, Yan Boucher1, SYvesylvie Bergeron3,4
Direction de la Recherche Forestière, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs (MFFP), 2 700 rue Einstein, Québec, QC G1P 3W8, Canada
Ressources Naturelles Canada/Natural Resources Canada, Service Canadien des forêts/Canadian Forest Service, Centre de foresterie des Laurentides/ Laurentian Forestry Center, 1055 rue du P.E.P.S, Québec, QC G1V 4C7, Canada
Institut de Recherche sur les Forêts, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, 445, boul. de l'Université, Rouyn-Noranda, QC J9X 5E4, Canada
Centre d'étude de la Forêt, Université du Québec, Montréal CP 8888 succ A, Montréal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada

Abstract

Background

In the context of ecosystem management, the present study aims to compare the natural and the present-day forested landscapes of a large territory in Quebec (Canada). Using contemporary and long-term fire cycles, each natural forest landscape is defined according to the variability of its structure and composition, and compared to the present-day landscape. This analysis was conducted to address the question of whether human activities have moved these ecosystems outside the range of natural landscape variability.

Methods

The study encompassed a forested area of 175 000 km2 divided into 14 landscapes. Using a framework that integrates fire cycles, age structure and forest dynamics, we characterized the forest composition and age structures that resulted from three historical fire cycles (110, 140, and 180 years) representative of the boreal forest of eastern Canada. The modeled natural landscapes were compared with present-day landscapes in regard to the proportion of old-growth forests (landscape level) and the proportion of late-successional forest stands (landscape level and potential vegetation type).

Results

Four landscapes (39%) remain within their natural range of variability. In contrast, nine landscapes (54%) show a large gap between natural and present-day landscapes. These nine are located in the southern portion of the study area, and are mainly associated with Abies-Betula vegetation where human activities have contributed to a strong increase in the proportion of Populus tremuloides stands (early-successional stages) and a decrease of old-growth forest stands (more than 100 years old). A single landscape (7%), substantially changed from its potential natural state, is a candidate for adaptive-based management.

Conclusion

Comparison of corresponding natural (reference conditions) and present-day landscapes showed that ten landscapes reflecting an important shift in forest composition and age structure could be considered beyond the range of their natural variability. The description of a landscape’s natural variability at the scale of several millennia can be considered a moving benchmark that can be re-evaluated in the context of climate change. Focusing on regional landscape characteristics and long-term natural variability of vegetation and forest age structure represents a step forward in methodology for defining reference conditions and following shifts in landscape over time.

Keywords: Resilience, Landscape, Forest dynamics, Ecosystem management, Reference conditions, Natural variability, Fire cycle, Age structure, Potential vegetation type

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Publication history
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Acknowledgements
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Publication history

Received: 12 January 2018
Accepted: 17 July 2018
Published: 10 August 2018
Issue date: December 2018

Copyright

© The Author(s) 2018.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

Data sources used in this study (plots, maps, archives) were collected, managed, and supervised by the staff of the MFFP since 1970. Our thanks to all of these individuals, mainly forest technicians. Stylistic revision by Karen Grislis and Germain Mercier was greatly appreciated. Our thanks to the first reviewer, Andrew Park (University of Winnipeg), to the anonymous second reviewer and to Michel Campagna (MFFP), for their insightful comments and suggestions regarding an earlier version of the manuscript. This project is part of an ongoing research project at the Direction de la recherche forestière of the MFFP (no: 142332129).

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