upland boreal forest northwest of thunder bay, ontario : ecology and applications to silviculture
abstract
multivariate phytosociological methods were used
to investigate the ecology of upland boreal forest
stands. the ecological information was used to derive
silvicultural recommendations. the boreal forest stands
did not form tight associations. species were distributed
individualistically; most species have broad, overlapping,
environmental tolerances. most of the variability among
stands was attributed to the environment and to species
precedence on a site. geomorphology and moisture regime
were related to community composition. pinus banksiana
dominates sandy glaciofluvial deposits. picea mariana
achieves moderate abundance on glaciofluvial deposits
which are moister due to finer soils or to topographic
position. picea mariana may also dominate shallow
moraines. deeper moraines were dominated by mixedwoods
composed of all species common to uplands in the study
area. succession is of minimal importance; other factors
override successional trends.
while plant communities were related to
the landforms are much more discrete than
communities. therefore, landforms were used
silvicultural recommendations. land types were
by combining or dividing simple features. the seven land types were
associated with trends of community composition and of productivity.
silvicultural recommendations were derived for each of
these land types. these recommendations were primarily
determined by potential hardwood competition and
productivity.
collections
- retrospective theses [1604]