Simon Bilodeau-Gauthier, Gustavo-Alberto Palma-Ponce, Jean-Charles Miquel, Nicolas Bélanger, Suzanne Brais, Benoit Lafleur. Growth and foliar nutrition of a hybrid poplar clone following the application of a mixture of papermill biosolids and lime mud. 2022. Can. J. For. Res. 52(1):117-128
DOI : 10.1139/cjfr-2021-0086
Fertilization of hybrid poplar (HP) plantations with papermill by-products is a promising solution to improve soil fertility and nutrient availability, increase plantation productivity, and provide added value to these materials that would otherwise be incinerated or sent to the landfill. We assessed the growth and foliar nutrition of a HP clone (Populus × canadensis × Populus maximowiczii) at six plantation sites aged 3–5 years in southern Quebec, Canada. Sites received a fertilization treatment consisting of a mixture of papermill biosolids (120 to 140 t·ha-1, depending on site) and lime mud (10 to 15 t·ha-1) before being planted, or no fertilization (control). Tree growth was significantly improved by fertilization, with fertilized trees showing a mean annual height increment of 1.3 m (all-site mean; SD = 0.2), compared with 0.5 m (SD = 0.4) for unfertilized trees. Foliar calcium and magnesium increased following fertilization and levels met optimal thresholds at all sites, whereas nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium concentrations also increased, but nutritional deficiencies remained for these elements at several sites. Our results confirm the benefits of fertilizing hybrid poplars with papermill by-products, but they also indicate that adjustments in application rates or type of by-products could be made to fully satisfy nutritional requirements and thus optimize tree growth. © 2021 Authors Palma Ponce, Miquel, Lafleur, Brais, and Bélanger, and The Crown.
Marion Noualhaguet, Benoit Lafleur, Nicole J. Fenton, Timothy Work. Résistance et résilience des peuplements forestiers en réponse à différentes intensités de coupe en forêt boréale. 2021. Le Couvert Boréal p.26
Christoforos Pappas, Yves Bergeron, Nicolas Bélanger, Han Y. H. Chen, Philip G. Comeau, Sylvain Delagrange, Olivier Blarquez, Amanda Diochon, Loïc D’Orangeville, Pierre Drapeau, Louis Duchesne, Elise Filotas, Fabio Gennaretti, Benoit Lafleur, Louis De Grandpré, Annie DesRochers, David Langor, François Lorenzetti, Charles Nock, Daniel Houle, Miguel Montoro Girona, Christian Messier, Barb R. Thomas, Simon Lebel Desrosiers, Rongzhou Man, Timothy Work, Daniel Kneeshaw. Smartforests Canada: A Network of Monitoring Plots for Forest Management Under Environmental Change. 2021. Climate-Smart Forestry in Mountain Regions 521-543
DOI : 10.1007/978-3-030-80767-2_16
Monitoring of forest response to gradual environmental changes or abrupt disturbances provides insights into how forested ecosystems operate and allows for quantification of forest health. In this chapter, we provide an overview of Smartforests Canada, a national-scale research network consisting of regional investigators who support a wealth of existing and new monitoring sites. The objectives of Smartforests are threefold: (1) establish and coordinate a network of high-precision monitoring plots across a 4400 km gradient of environmental and forest conditions, (2) synthesize the collected multivariate observations to examine the effects of global changes on complex above- and belowground forest dynamics and resilience, and (3) analyze the collected data to guide the development of the next-generation forest growth models and inform policy-makers on best forest management and adaptation strategies. We present the methodological framework implemented in Smartforests to fulfill the aforementioned objectives. We then use an example from a temperate hardwood Smartforests site in Quebec to illustrate our approach for climate-smart forestry. We conclude by discussing how information from the Smartforests network can be integrated with existing data streams, from within Canada and abroad, guiding forest management and the development of climate change adaptation strategies.
Alexis Achim, Guillaume Moreau, Nicholas C Coops, Jodi N Axelson, Julie Barrette, Steve Bédard, Kenneth E Byrne, John Caspersen, Adam R Dick, Loïc D'Orangeville, Guillaume Drolet, Bianca N I Eskelson, Cosmin N Filipescu, Maude Flamand-Hubert, Tristan R H Goodbody, Verena C Griess, Shannon M Hagerman, Kevin Keys, Benoit Lafleur, Miguel Montoro Girona, Dave M. Morris, Charles Nock, Bradley D Pinno, Patricia Raymond, Robert Schneider, Michel Soucy, Bruce Stewart, Jean-Daniel Sylvain, Anthony R Taylor, Évelyne Thiffault, Nelson Thiffault, Udayalaksmi Vepakoma, Joanne C White. The changing culture of silviculture. 2021. Forestry cpab047
DOI : 10.1093/forestry/cpab047
{Changing climates are altering the structural and functional components of forest ecosystems at an unprecedented rate. Simultaneously, we are seeing a diversification of public expectations on the broader sustainable use of forest resources beyond timber production. As a result, the science and art of silviculture needs to adapt to these changing realities. In this piece, we argue that silviculturists are gradually shifting from the application of empirically derived silvicultural scenarios to new sets of approaches, methods and practices, a process that calls for broadening our conception of silviculture as a scientific discipline. We propose a holistic view of silviculture revolving around three key themes: observe, anticipate and adapt. In observe, we present how recent advances in remote sensing now enable silviculturists to observe forest structural, compositional and functional attributes in near-real-time, which in turn facilitates the deployment of efficient, targeted silvicultural measures in practice that are adapted to rapidly changing constraints. In anticipate, we highlight the importance of developing state-of-the-art models designed to take into account the effects of changing environmental conditions on forest growth and dynamics. In adapt, we discuss the need to provide spatially explicit guidance for the implementation of adaptive silvicultural actions that are efficient, cost-effective and socially acceptable. We conclude by presenting key steps towards the development of new tools and practical knowledge that will ensure meeting societal demands in rapidly changing environmental conditions. We classify these actions into three main categories: re-examining existing silvicultural trials to identify key stand attributes associated with the resistance and resilience of forests to multiple stressors, developing technological workflows and infrastructures to allow for continuous forest inventory updating frameworks, and implementing bold, innovative silvicultural trials in consultation with the relevant communities where a range of adaptive silvicultural strategies are tested. In this holistic perspective, silviculture can be defined as the science of observing forest condition and anticipating its development to apply tending and regeneration treatments adapted to a multiplicity of desired outcomes in rapidly changing realities.}
Timo Kuuluvainen, Kalev Jogiste, Per Angelstam, Lee Frelich, Matti Koivula, Yasuhiro Kubota, Ellen E. MacDonald, Benoit Lafleur. Natural Disturbance-Based Forest Management: Moving Beyond Retention and Continuous-Cover Forestry. 2021. Frontiers in forests and global change 4:24
DOI : 10.3389/ffgc.2021.629020
Global forest area is declining rapidly, along with degradation of the ecological condition of remaining forests. Hence it is necessary to adopt forest management approaches that can achieve a balance between (1) human management designs based on homogenization of forest structure to efficiently deliver economic values and (2) naturally emerging self-organized ecosystem dynamics that foster heterogeneity, biodiversity, resilience and adaptive capacity. Natural disturbance-based management is suggested to provide such an approach. It is grounded on the premise that disturbance is a key process maintaining diversity of ecosystem structures, species and functions, and adaptive and evolutionary potential, which functionally link to sustainability of ecosystem services supporting human well-being. We review the development, ecological and evolutionary foundations and applications of natural disturbance-based forest management. With emphasis on boreal forests, we compare this approach with two mainstream approaches to sustainable forest management, retention and continuous-cover forestry. Compared with these approaches, natural disturbance-based management provides a more comprehensive framework, which is compatible with current understanding of multiple-scale ecological processes and structures, which underlie biodiversity, resilience and adaptive potential of forest ecosystems. We conclude that natural disturbance-based management provides a comprehensive ecosystem-based framework for managing forests for human needs of commodity production and immaterial values, while maintaining forest health in the rapidly changing global environment.
Kobra Maleki, Philippe Marchand, Danielle Charron, Benoit Lafleur, Yves Bergeron. A 249‐yr chronosequence of forest plots from eight successive fires in the Eastern Canada boreal mixedwoods. 2021. Ecology 102(5):e03306
DOI : 10.1002/ecy.3306
A combination of wildfires and defoliating insect outbreaks play an important role in the natural successional dynamics of North American boreal mixedwood forests, which, in the long term, change the post‐disturbance composition and structure of forest stands. After stand‐replacing disturbances (mainly wildfires), early successional hardwoods typically dominate the affected areas. Provided enough time following disturbances, the increasing recruitment of mid‐ to late‐successional softwoods as well as the mortality of hardwoods gradually change forest composition from hardwoods to admixtures of hardwood‐conifer species and conifer‐dominated stands in mid and late successional stages, respectively. Such mixedwoods are abundant across the southern Canadian boreal forest. In boreal Canada, mixedwoods are the most structurally heterogeneous forest ecosystems, are highly productive, and form an important source of timber supply. Here we present the EASTERN BOREAL MIXEDWOODS CANADA data set, which documents the changes in composition and structure of stands originating from eight different wildfires representing a chronosequence of 249 yr since fire in eastern Canada. This data set has been used in several different projects to study and model the influence of natural (e.g., insect outbreaks) and anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., harvesting) on the dynamics of post‐fire stands. The data set covers a high range of variability in stand composition and structure, explained by species establishment, dominance, and mixture. It thus constitutes a useful source of information to trace the dynamics of the main boreal tree species of eastern North America, from their establishment to their replacement at different spatial scales (e.g., from stand to landscape level). Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using the data. We are open to collaborate in developing or co‐authoring relevant research projects based on this data set.
Louiza Moussaoui, Nicole J. Fenton, Yves Bergeron, Annie Claude Bélisle, Alain Leduc, Miguel Montoro Girona, Benoit Lafleur. Success Factors for Experimental Partial Harvesting
in Unmanaged Boreal Forest: 10?Year Stand
Yield Results. 2020. Forests 11(11):1199
DOI : 10.3390/f11111199
Over the past two decades, partial harvesting has been increasingly used in boreal forests as an alternative to clearcutting to promote irregular stand structures and maintain a balance between biodiversity preservation and continued timber production. However, relatively little is still known about the silvicultural potential of partial harvesting in Canada’s boreal forest, especially in areas prone to organic matter accumulation (paludification), and most prior research has focused on biodiversity responses. In this study, we assess the effects of partial harvesting on stand development (recruitment, growth, and mortality) ten years after harvesting in previously unmanaged black spruce stands and quantify its effectiveness in reducing the impacts on ecosystem structures. Our analyses revealed that pre-harvest stand structure and site characteristics, especially initial basal area, sapling density, tree diameter, and organic layer thickness (OLT) were major factors involved in stand development ten years following these partial harvesting treatments. Depending on pre-harvest structure and site characteristics, partial harvesting can result in either an increase in post-harvest tree recruitment and growth or a loss of stand volume because of standing tree mortality. To increase the chances of partial harvesting success in ensuring an increase in decennial stand yield after harvest in black spruce forest stands, sites prone to paludification (i.e., where OLT >17 cm) should be left unharvested. This study illustrates the importance of taking into account pre-existing structure and site characteristics in the selection of management strategies to maximize the potential of partial harvesting to achieve sustainable forest management in black spruce stands.
Yves Bergeron, Kobra Maleki, Benoit Lafleur, Alain Leduc. Modelling the influence of different harvesting methods on forest dynamics
in the boreal mixedwoods of western Quebec, Canada. 2020. For. Ecol. Manage. 479:118545
DOI : 10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118545
Forest management aims to better understand effects of natural disturbance regimes on forest dynamics and use this knowledge to formulate guidelines in forest planning, thereby narrowing gaps between managed and unmanaged forest landscapes. Using forest simulators to reconstruct forest dynamics in relation to ecosystem processes, including disturbances, could help forest managers to better understand harvesting effects on forest dynamics. Using SORTIE-ND, a spatially explicit forest simulator, we generated stand dynamics for 100 years following simulated clear-cut and partial harvests (dispersed vs aggregated, with 30% and 60% basal area removal). Based on the hardwood: conifer basal area ratio, we grouped post-fire stands into three stand types corresponding to natural post-fire succession (deciduous, mixed deciduous, and mixed coniferous) and assessed long-term effects of clear-cutting and partial harvesting on each. Our results suggest that spatial configurations of harvested and residual trees had a greater effect on stand dynamics than did tree removal intensity. Following dispersed partial harvesting, both deciduous and mixed deciduous stands had species composition and structure similar to unharvested stands of the next successional stage. In these same stand types, aggregated harvests and clear-cutting favoured increased regeneration and basal area increments of aspen, which set succession back to aspen dominance, as has been observed after wildfire. Dispersed partial harvests (both 30% and 60%) and 30% aggregated cuts, in mixed coniferous stands, maintained recruitment and dominance of conifers to levels comparable with unmanaged stands. Clear-cutting in all stand types greatly modified stand compositional and structural attributes, and, when conducted in stands where aspen was abundant, performed as a stand-replacing disturbance, setting succession back to early developmental stages, i.e., to aspen dominance. We conclude that partial harvesting, which emulates gap dynamics similar to undisturbed stands, can maintain natural stand dynamics.
Freddy Nguema Allogo, Kobra Maleki, Benoit Lafleur. Natural Regeneration Following Partial and Clear-
Cut Harvesting in Mature Aspen-Jack Pine Stands
in Eastern Canada. 2020. Forests 11:741
DOI : 10.3390/f11070741
Over the last three decades, the ecological basis for the generalized use of even-aged silviculture in boreal forests has been increasingly challenged. In boreal mixed-wood landscapes, the diminishing proportion of conifers, to the benefit of intolerant hardwoods, has been a primary concern, coupled with the general rarefication of old-growth conifer-dominated stands. In this context, partial cutting, extended rotations and forest renewal techniques that eliminate or reduce regenerating hardwoods have been proposed as means of regaining greater conifer cover. As a result, experimentation and industrial application of various forms of both variable retention and partial harvesting are occurring across the commercial Canadian boreal forest. In this study, we compared the effects of two harvesting intensities, clearcutting and low-intensity partial cutting (removal of 25–31% of tree basal area), on hardwood and conifer regeneration levels 7–19 years following treatments in aspen (Populus tremuloides)-dominated stands and verified whether regeneration differences existed between micro-sites on and off machinery trails. The abundance of aspen regeneration increased with percent basal area removal and was positively correlated to the abundance of mature aspen prior to harvesting. The abundance of fir (Abies balsamea) regeneration after partial cutting was similar to controls and higher than after clear-cutting and was positively correlated with ground cover of mixed litter (i.e., mixture of needles and leaves) and negatively correlated with ground cover of broadleaf litter. These results suggest that it is possible in boreal mixed-woods to control aspen abundance and promote or maintain conifer regeneration through silvicultural treatments that limit canopy opening and promote mixed forest floor litter.
Kobra Maleki, Benoit Lafleur, Brian Harvey, Marc Mazerolle, Nicole J. Fenton. Changes in Deadwood and Understory Vegetation
12 Years after Partial and Clearcut Harvesting in
Mixedwood Stands of Western Quebec, Canada. 2020. Forest Science 66(3):337-350
DOI : 10.1093/forsci/fxz087
voir la liste complète
Lauren Egli, Marion Noualhaguet, Nicole J. Fenton, Benoit Lafleur, Timothy Work. Évaluation à moyen terme des impacts des coupes totales et partielles sur la productivité forestière et la biodiversité en forêt boréale mixte Les Rendez-vous de la connaissance en aménagement forestier durable MFFP - Aménagement et récolte en forêt boréale (2021-06-01)
Lauren Egli, Marion Noualhaguet, Nicole J. Fenton, Benoit Lafleur, Timothy Work, Osvaldo Valeria, Igor Drobyshev, Daniela Robles, Yves Bergeron, Alexander Kryshen, Daniela Mazo Calle. Rendez-vous de la connaissance en aménagement forestier durable - Aménagement et récolte en forêt boréale Rendez-vous de la connaissance en aménagement forestier durable (2021-06-01)
Joshua Jarry, Anne-Sophie Caron, Benoit Lafleur. Interactions entre la livrée des forêts et la composition forestière : rôle de la prédation dans la dynamique des épidémies et effets sur la litière, les sols et la régénération Les Rendez-vous de la connaissance en aménagement forestier durable MFFP - Les ravageurs forestiers (2021-05-18)
Marion Noualhaguet, Nicole J. Fenton, Benoit Lafleur, Timothy Work. Sylviculture et aménagement forestier écosystémique, il s’en passe des choses en 20 ans 22e colloque de la Chaire AFD. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, complètement virtuel (2020-12-02)
Léa Darquié, Vincent Poirier, Louis Imbeau, Patricia Raymond, Benoit Lafleur, Annie DesRochers. Effets du dégagement mécanique sur la croissance, les stocks de carbone et la qualité de l’habitat faunique dans un peuplement mixte 22e colloque de la Chaire AFD. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, complètement virtuel (2020-12-02)
Urszula Deregowski, Timothy Work, Benoit Lafleur. Les effets à long terme de l’aménagement inspiré par des perturbations naturelles sur les coléoptères saproxyliques 22e colloque de la Chaire AFD. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, complètement virtuel (2020-12-02)
Lauren Egli, Timothy Work, Benoit Lafleur. Évaluation du rétablissement et de la persistance des carabes sur 20 ans après la gestion des écosystèmes forestiers dans les forêts boréales mixtes 22e colloque de la Chaire AFD. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, complètement virtuel (2020-12-02)
Ablo Hounzandji, Annie DesRochers, Benoit Lafleur. Effet des éclaircies sur la régénération en peuplement mixte 21e colloque de la Chaire AFD. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, Québec. (2019-11-30)
Alyas Aimé Libeshy Moundenda, Osvaldo Valeria, Benoit Lafleur, Jean-François Audy. Estimation des flux de transport forêt-usine 21e colloque de la Chaire AFD. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, Québec. (2019-11-30)
Joshua Jarry, Benoit Lafleur, Emma Despland. Effets de la livrée des forêts sur l’écologie du sol et la régénération forestière 21e colloque de la Chaire AFD. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, Québec. (2019-11-30)
Maciré Fofana, Benoit Lafleur, Nelson Thiffault. Contribution relative des facteurs d'habitat et de la mixité des essences forestières sur la dynamique de régénération post-récolte en forêt mixte 21e colloque de la Chaire AFD. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, Québec. (2019-11-30)
Lauren Egli, Timothy Work, Benoit Lafleur. Récupération des carabes suivant des pratiques sylvicoles conventionnelles et écosystémiques dans l'ouest du Québec 21e colloque de la Chaire AFD. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, Québec. (2019-11-30)
Mohamadou Alpha Gueye, Benoit Lafleur, Yves Bergeron. Modélisation de la dynamique de la succession naturelle en forêt boréale mixte 20e colloque de la Chaire AFD. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Lorrainville, Québec. (2018-11-30)
Lauren Egli, Timothy Work, Benoit Lafleur. Affiche 6
Vérification de la résilience des écosystèmes
forestiers à l'aide de la biodiversité des carabes. 20e colloque de la Chaire AFD. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Lorrainville, Québec. (2018-11-30)
Joshua Jarry, Benoit Lafleur. Affiche 7
Effets de la Livré des Forêts sur la Régénération
Forestière des Forêts Tempérés et Boréales. 20e colloque de la Chaire AFD. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Lorrainville, Québec. (2018-11-30)
Ange-Marie Botroh, Benoit Lafleur, Yves Bergeron. Affiche 11
Détermination des effets des pratiques sylvicoles
sur les flux et les stocks de C en forêt boréale tourbeuse. 20e colloque de la Chaire AFD. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Lorrainville, Québec. (2018-11-30)
Freddy Nguema Allogo, Benoit Lafleur, Brian Harvey. Affiche 3
Influence des facteurs biophysiques sur la régénération naturelle après coupe partielle en forêt boréale mixte 19e colloque de la Chaire AFD. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Ste-Germaine-Boulé, Québec. (2017-11-30)
Alyas Aimé Libeshy Moundenda, Osvaldo Valeria, Benoit Lafleur, Jean-François Audy. Affiche 12
Cartographie et caractérisation des flux de transports forestiers en Abitibi-Témiscamingue 19e colloque de la Chaire AFD. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Ste-Germaine-Boulé, Québec. (2017-11-30)
Benoit Lafleur, Brian Harvey. Coupe partielle en forêt boréale mixte : Effets sur les débris ligneux et réponse des communautés végétales de sous-bois à un gradient d’intensité de récolte 18e colloque de la Chaire AFD. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, Québec. (2016-12-01)
Flavie Ferrer, Ahmed Koubaa, Benoit Lafleur. Une nouvelle méthode d’échantillonnage non destructive en dendrochronologie 18e colloque de la Chaire AFD. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, Québec. (2016-12-01)
