1 Lecture 11 Implementation of Ecosystem Management: Case Studies Kevin Crowe FORE 4212 25 November,...

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Lecture 11Implementation of Ecosystem

Management: Case Studies

Kevin Crowe

FORE 4212

25 November, 2004

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Objectives

Review 2 working examples of ecosystem management

Demonstrate how ecosystem management initiatives have sprung from diverse origins– i.e., outside of Ontario

Illustrate innovation in managing all forest values

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Case #1: The Lac Duparquet Forest

Northwestern Quebec Great variety of soil conditions and a forest

mosaic characteristic of eastern boreal mixed-wood forest– Pine, spruce, birch, aspen, balsam fir, tamarack

Allocated to Tembec (sawmills) and Nexfor (OSB mill)

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1996 Tembec and Nexfor gave up 8,000 ha to allow creation of Lac Duparquet Research and Teaching Forest

– University of Quebec at Montreal and University of Quebec in Abitibi took over management of the forest

– Yves Bergeron– Quebec govt. gave 25-year tenure, renewable every 5 years

Universities manage and harvest the forest, selling wood to Tembec and Nexfor

No stumpage fees charged by govt. Revenues are to pay for planning, silviculture, and graduate

student research

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Management Planning– University researchers, and foresters from

Tembec and Nexfor form the management team– First management plan presented in 1998– Plan aimed to manage the forest through

“emulation of natural disturbance” paradigm

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Steps involved in developing and implementing the plan

– 1. Characterization of the historic natural disturbance regime

– 2. Use forest ecosystem classification and fire cycle modeling

– 3. Associate forest types with cohorts– 4. Develop a forest level management model– 5. Use silvicultural treatments to attain landscape level

objectives

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Step #1. Characterization of the historic natural disturbance regime

Using soil pits, researchers reconstructed fire history and mapped it:

– Completed a detailed study of frequency, severity and burn patterns

– In this region, the regime was characterized by large crown fires

– Great variation in severity– Return interval 140 years on avg.

Used this as a benchmark on which to target forest age structure

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Step # 2. Use forest ecosystem classification and fire cycle modeling

First: regional scale ecosystem classification provided information of relative proportion of site types found in the area

Using this, plus fire cycle information and knowledge of stand dynamics, they deduced:– Natural forest age structure and composition

targets

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Step # 3. Associate forest types with cohorts

Stand development was partitioned into three development stages, or, cohorts

12 forest types, based on 3 different cohort types and ecosystem classification

First cohort forest types (even-aged)– tend to have an even aged structure and are composed of pioneer

species– These dominate first 100 years following fire

Second cohort forest types (uneven-aged)– consist of surviving canopy stems from the first cohort and either

1) tolerant softwoods that were present in the understory of the first cohort, or 2) trees recruited in the understory

– Uneven-aged structure

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Step # 3. Associate forest types with cohorts

– Second cohort represents a mid-successional phase– From 75 to 175 years after disturbance– Mixed species, irregular structure

Third cohort type (irregular stand structure)– the late successional phase– First cohort canopy trees have died– Balsam fir, eastern white cedar dominate in irregular stand

structure– Assumption is that wildfire and clearcut revert most forest

types to first cohort type

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Step # 4. Develop a forest level management model

Developed an area-based forest simulation model that controls fluxes within and between forest types

Partial cutting of first and second cohort types creates second and third types respectively

Clearcutting in any cohort type creates first cohort type

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Non spatial forest level model indicates at what period harvesting and recruitment should occur in each forest type, and over how much area in order to….?– Move from the present age structure and area to

the target condition…which was based on? 1. proportion of each ecosite type 2 fire history 3. stand dynamics

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This is not unlike our approach using SFMM How does it differ?

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How Does it Differ

1. Fire history data. 2. Emphasis on maintaining cohorts (stand

structures) through partial cutting.

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Step#5. Use silvicultural treatments to attain landscape level objectives

Given a target forest, with an inverse-J age-class distribution (or cohort distribution), there is likely to be a drop in AAC

Especially in the Boreal, where short-lived species die before you can harvest them on extended rotations

Therefore use silvicultural practices to minimize impact on AAC while still:

– Maintaining structural and compositional targets of over mature stands

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First, second, and third cohorts attained using silvicultural treatments

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Step#5. Use silvicultural treatments to attain landscape level objectives

Note: Little experience in partial cutting in the region– Therefore outcomes of treatments were uncertain– Therefore designed and implemented

harvesting experiments– Silvicultural trials were established in 1998

Larger operational trials on Tembec and Norbord’s areas

Adaptive management approach

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They also established a control area– 2,000 ha zoned for conservation to serve as a

natural benchmark for environmental monitoring

Used for fundamental studies in natural forest dynamics and ecosystem processes

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Testing the Triad Zoning Approach Quebec Govt. has been slow to create

network of reserves Consensus is emerging that creation of such

a network will require compensatory increase in intensive silviculture

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Recall triad approach, AKA, balanced forestry?

Divide forest into zones– 1. Majority is in ecosystem management zone– 2. Certain areas on productive sites, close to

mills, are managed intensively– 3. Ecologically significant or rare critical habitats

are put into reserves

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The division in this forest is– 70% ecosystem management– 25% reserve (half of which is non-productive)– 5% intensive (all highly productive)

Therefore, intensive must increase yield per ha 2 and half times over normal silviculture to “break even”, i.e., sustain timber supply

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This is where the lecture ended. Students may ignore material beyond this

point.

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Case #2: Louisiana-Pacific in Swan Valley, Manitoba

1994 FMA granted to LP: 2.6 million ha, with productive land base of 584,000 ha

LP must build OSB mill in Swan Valley and develop a 10-year management plan

Plan was to be approved by Forestry Branch of Manitoba Natural Resources and Licensing Branch of Manitoba Environment

And reviewed by Canadian Wildlife Service, Department of Fisheries and Oceans,

In addition, LP had to produce an environmental impact assessment

LP chose to embrace an ecosystem management approach to managing the forest

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Following the review period, a public environmental hearing process was conducted, by the Clean Environment Commission

– This allows interested parties to question the forest management plan and the environmental impact statement

– The hearings were well attended and lively– Concerns expressed over annual harvest volumes, mill

emissions, and LP’s track record of environmental violations in Colorado

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Public and Community Involvement LP responded by developing a “Stakeholders

Advisory Committee”, 1995– The SAC provides a forum for expression of values from

various interest groups– LP wished to identify any resources and land uses that may

be “impacted” by the implementation of their plan– LP also held annual open houses and met individually with

environmental organizations

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Operational Practices and Training Standard Operation Practices were developed in

consultation with Stakeholders Advisory Committee.– LP committed to train staff and operators in both operational

and ecological aspects of forest management to minimize environmental impacts. E.g.,

– New operational practices on stream crossing installation, road construction, erosion control

– Staff attended courses on natural disturbance based approaches to forest management, riparian management, and role of public participation

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Applied Management Clearcut harvest followed by natural regeneration

was LP’s most common practice– They implemented variable retention practices, i.e.,

clearcuts with residual forest left in patches, to emulate natural disturbance

– LP operation supervisors were trained and audited (by third party) annually on correct implementation

– Blocks were rated on adherence to work permit instructions

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Inventory and Monitoring Pre-harvest survey program was developed

to determine distribution and abundance of wildlife habitat of every potential harvest site– These data were used with short and long term

planning– 18,000 plots have been completed (vegetation,

soil, timber, non-timber attributes measured) + 450 permanent plots (to act as controls)

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LP also developed a new Forest Lands Inventory Program– Three components

1. forest lands inventory 2. ecosite inventory 3. terrain and landform inventory

This will provide the basis for planning on an ecosystem basis

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LP also committed (1997) to funding a bird monitoring program, to evaluate the effectiveness of variable retention– I.e., adaptive management– 2,200 point count stations across the forest– 218 species

LP has reduced harvesting in May, June, and July– bird nesting season

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Aquatic Ecosystems The potential for harvest effects related to

water quality and peak flows were difficult to estimate without baseline data– DFO allowed LP to operate on not more than 30%

of a watershed (5 year delay for hardwood, 15 for conifer) until watershed impact analysis is completed by LP

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Research Program– Priority is to understand natural disturbance

regime of their region– Collect historical data on

fire frequency, size, and severity Insect and disease dynamics

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Understand stand dynamics and successional pathways

Develop reliable targets for long term plans aimed at emulating natural disturbance

In addition, scientific advisory committee is developing forestry effects monitoring program to provide adaptive management framework

1 Lecture 11 Implementation of Ecosystem Management: Case Studies Kevin Crowe FORE 4212 25 November,...

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