Post-harvest regeneration is driven by ecological factors rather than wood procurement intensity in eastern Canadian forests

IF 3 2区农林科学 Q1 FORESTRY

Forestry Pub Date : 2024-03-17 DOI:10.1093/forestry/cpae008

Claudie-Maude Canuel, Évelyne Thiffault, Nelson Thiffault

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Biomass from surplus forest growth that is not harvested for wood supply of conventional industries can be an important source of feedstock for bioenergy. Its procurement can be integrated with little effort into current harvest operations. However, the increasing harvesting intensity to meet greater demand for biomass procurement can impact forest ecosystem functions because of its direct and indirect effects on woody debris and the regeneration of next-rotation stands. In this context, we aimed to determine the relationships between wood procurement intensity, woody debris inputs, and regeneration success over 2 years after harvesting. We tested four treatments of increasing wood procurement intensity using a randomized block design within six experimental sites along a gradient of varying forest characteristics of boreal and temperate forests. We assessed stand characteristics in terms of standing trees, woody debris, and regeneration pre- and post-harvest. We used mixed effects models to evaluate (i) the effects of wood procurement intensity and pre-harvest stand characteristics on the volume and cover of woody debris and (ii) the specific influence of woody debris on the presence of suitable planting microsites post-harvest. Furthermore, we used principal component regressions to explore the relationships between harvesting intensity and the presence of natural regeneration and competing vegetation as a function of pre- and post-harvest stand characteristics (iii). Our results showed that increasing wood procurement intensity reduced the volume of post-harvest woody debris while having a limited effect on regeneration. Increasing harvesting intensity had a negligible effect on suitable planting microsites in hardwood-dominated stands but it increased their presence in conifer-dominated stands. Natural regeneration and competing vegetation were mainly related to stand characteristics, and only broadleaf regeneration was sensitive to harvest intensity. We conclude that the relationships between wood procurement intensity and regeneration are complex and rely mainly on stand characteristics rather than wood procurement needs.

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加拿大东部森林采伐后再生的驱动因素是生态因素而非木材采购强度

未用于传统工业木材供应的剩余森林生长所产生的生物质可以成为生物能源的重要原料来源。生物质的采购只需很少的努力就能与当前的采伐作业相结合。然而，为满足更大的生物质采购需求而不断增加的采伐强度可能会影响森林生态系统功能，因为这会对木质碎屑和下一轮林分的再生产生直接或间接的影响。在这种情况下，我们的目标是确定木材采伐强度、木质碎屑投入和采伐后两年内再生成功率之间的关系。我们采用随机区组设计，在北方和温带森林不同森林特征梯度的六个实验点测试了四种增加木材采伐强度的处理方法。我们从立木、木质碎屑以及采伐前后的再生等方面评估了林分特征。我们使用混合效应模型来评估（i）木材采伐强度和采伐前林分特征对木质碎屑的数量和覆盖率的影响，以及（ii）木质碎屑对采伐后是否存在合适的种植微地的具体影响。此外，我们还利用主成分回归法探讨了采伐强度与天然更新和竞争性植被的存在之间的关系，并将其作为采伐前和采伐后林分特征的函数(iii)。结果表明，提高木材采伐强度会减少采伐后木质碎屑的数量，但对再生的影响有限。在以硬木为主的林分中，提高采伐强度对合适的种植微地的影响微乎其微，但在以针叶林为主的林分中，提高采伐强度会增加微地的存在。自然再生和竞争植被主要与林分特征有关，只有阔叶树的再生对采伐强度敏感。我们的结论是，木材采伐强度与再生之间的关系很复杂，主要取决于林分特征而非木材采伐需求。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Forestry 农林科学-林学

CiteScore

6.70

自引率

7.10%

发文量

审稿时长

12-24 weeks

期刊介绍： The journal is inclusive of all subjects, geographical zones and study locations, including trees in urban environments, plantations and natural forests. We welcome papers that consider economic, environmental and social factors and, in particular, studies that take an integrated approach to sustainable management. In considering suitability for publication, attention is given to the originality of contributions and their likely impact on policy and practice, as well as their contribution to the development of knowledge. Special Issues - each year one edition of Forestry will be a Special Issue and will focus on one subject in detail; this will usually be by publication of the proceedings of an international meeting.