Enhanced forest inventories in Canada: implementation, status, and research needs

Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 55, P. 1 - 37

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Forest inventory practices in Canada have evolved over time with changes forest management priorities, advances technology, fluctuations the marketplace, societal expectations, and generational shifts workforce. Provincial territorial governments are vested responsibilities each jurisdiction has adopted approaches that reflect jurisdictional information needs contexts. Typically, these inventories strategic nature spatially explicit, providing stand-level attribute derived from a two-phase approach involving manual air photo interpretation stratified ground plot sampling. Airborne laser scanning (ALS; also known as light detection ranging or lidar) emerged transformative data source for is now considered operational, resulting outputs commonly referred to enhanced (EFI). Herein we review synthesize how EFIs influencing practice Canada. We characterize spatial coverage characteristics of ALS acquired purposes, summarize current status EFI implementation within Canada’s provinces territories, identify emerging trends associated EFIs, consider broader global context. highlight common research gaps towards development nationally globally relevant agenda support greater integration remotely sensed into programs beyond.

Language: Английский

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What makes a forest growth model climate-sensitive? An examination of statistical and silvicultural model needs under climate change

Forestry An International Journal of Forest Research, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: April 27, 2025

Abstract Literature around climate change adaptation in forestry has repeatedly called for climate-sensitive growth and yield models. We suggest that these ‘climate-sensitive’ models should have particular statistical characteristics order to make effective, accurate predictions of future forest conditions. Growth also need match the scope scale adaptive silviculture or other strategies be useful as decision support tools managers. Adaptive requires can simulate techniques such assisted migration, mixing species, changes structure context novel climatic To help assess ability meet new demands, we identify establish specific model criteria derived from silvicultural requirements imposed by change. In accordance with criteria, propose a classification scheme based on principles causal statistics, which utility assessing efficacy. this scheme, are grouped into those apply mechanistic, causal, principles, taxonomy relates specifically function, i.e. serve predictive tools, rather than practical structure. Using examine number existing relationship proposed emphasizing challenges meeting wide range requirements, diversity approaches available current literature. find applying mechanistic most suited making under change, but challenged silviculture. The demands placed models, uncertainty an effective approach may use multiple utilize different both reduce risk bias increase flexibility. facilitate comparison interoperability major priority development. New types data drawn statistics investigated improve here will allow developers users more precisely needed changing environment.

Language: Английский

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10-year progress on Forest Carbon Research in Canada

Environmental Reviews, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: June 25, 2024

In 2012, A Blueprint for Forest Carbon Science in Canada: 2012–2020 was published to guide policy and research support Canada's obligations climate change mitigation adaptation, sustainable forest management, international reporting. Over the past decade, body of scientific focused on carbon dynamics Canada has significantly evolved, providing crucial insights into intricate interplay between various ecosystems global cycle. This comprehensive review synthesizes key findings from this period, highlighting improvements estimates current greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions removals, effects changes future carbon, contributions mitigate change. Collaborating with science community, we identified 426 peer-reviewed articles landscape-scale 2012 2021. The emphasizes anthropogenic influences natural disturbances contemporary GHG removals managed forests national inventory, highlights existing dichotomy management models, stresses need integrating disturbance estimates. Despite significant progress estimating tracking using modelled, remotely sensed, ground-based observations, challenges remain reducing uncertainties, particularly regarding impacts growth, decay, disturbances. Furthermore, showcases recent advancements strategies use a systems approach that includes ecosystem wood product emissions, substitution benefits avoided fossil emissions. Through scenario analyses, underscores regional variations assessing reductions notes shift towards more holistic considers environmental, economic, social values. By nuanced understanding complexities underlying Canada, sets stage initiatives aimed at fostering practices mitigating impact these vital ecosystems.

Language: Английский

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Simulating the Long-Term Response of Forest Succession to Climate Change in the Boreal Forest of Northern Ontario, Canada

Forests, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 15(8), P. 1417 - 1417

Published: Aug. 13, 2024

The effect of climate change on forest dynamics is likely to increase in importance the forthcoming decades. For this reason, it essential predict extent which changes temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric CO2 might affect development ecosystems successional pathways. gap model ZELIG-CFS was used simulate potential long-term effects species-specific annual mean basal area stand density under two scenarios representative concentration pathways (RCP), 4.5 8.5, for boreal region Ontario, Canada, where are expected increase. Forest included pure mixed stands black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] B.S.P.), paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.), balsam fir (Abies balsamea [L.] Mill.), jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), white glauca [Moench] Voss), northern cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.), American larch (Larix laricina [Du Roi] K. Koch), poplar balsamifera L.). Simulation results generally predicted a decline spruce, fir, pine, but an birch, aspen, larch, poplar. However, differed regionally among species. composition over long term. indicated that shade-intolerant deciduous conifer species will their dominance 100-year time horizon. This transition toward increasing presence forests explained by more favorable temperature conditions growth development.

Language: Английский

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Generic Carbon Budget Model for Assessing National Carbon Dynamics toward Carbon Neutrality: A Case Study of South Korea

Forests, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 15(5), P. 877 - 877

Published: May 17, 2024

Forests play a crucial role in South Korea’s carbon neutrality goal and require sustainable management strategies to overcome age-class imbalances. The Generic Carbon Budget Model (GCBM) offers spatially explicit approach simulate dynamics at regional scale. In this study, we utilized the GCBM analyze budget of forests Korea produce spatiotemporal maps for distribution forest biomass. growth parameters five representative tree species (Pinus densiflora Siebold & Zucc., Larix kaempferi Carr., Pinus koraiensis Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb., variabilis Blume), which are main Korea, were used operate model. addition, spatial data harvest thinning activities effects anthropogenic activities. 2020, aboveground belowground biomass 112.98 22.84 tC ha−1, net primary productivity was 8.30 ha−1 year−1. These results verified using comparison with statistics, literature review, MODIS NPP. particular, broadleaf is higher than conifer production. Canadian Korean inventory yield curves successfully estimated Korea. Our study demonstrates that these estimates can be mapped detail, thereby supporting decision-makers stakeholders analyzing developing novel schemes serve national aims related management, wood utilization, ecological preservation. Further studies needed improve initialization dead organic matter pools, given large-scale afforestation efforts recent decades have established on predominantly non-forest sites.

Language: Английский

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Revised historic harvest data improve estimates of the impacts of human activities on reported greenhouse gas emissions and removals in Canada’s managed forest

Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 54(11), P. 1376 - 1389

Published: Aug. 22, 2024

Guidelines for international reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals in the forest sector require a land-based approach that includes all lands subject to management activities such as harvest, inventory, regeneration, natural disturbances, protected areas. The reported net balance managed forests is not limited stands resulting from timber harvest wood product use. Reporting guidelines specify methods reduce interannual variability attributable disturbances. In Canada, initial (1990) assignment inventoried anthropogenic or disturbance categories determined by last stand-initiating disturbance. A new compilation historic (1889 1989) data Canada reduces area category 34 million hectares (20%) 1990. This transfer origin carbon sink 113 Mt CO 2 e yr −1 (56%) 1990 30 (23%) 2021.

Language: Английский

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Development of national post-fire restoration system to assess net GHG impacts and salvage biomass availability.

MethodsX, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 13, P. 102932 - 102932

Published: Sept. 21, 2024

Language: Английский

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Combining thinning and diverse plantings to adapt to climate-change-induced timber supply shortage in British Columbia

Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Oct. 1, 2024

Forestry is an important component of Canada’s economy with British Columbia (BC) contributing almost half to the national roundwood production. Yet, country’s timber supply and forest are threatened by climate change, increased frequency severity natural disturbances changes in productivity. Mountain pine beetle ( Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreaks endemic BC, but latest change-driven outbreak has resulted a cumulative loss over all merchantable pine, leading mid-term shortage. In this study, we investigate potential commercial thinning alternative planting regimes based on species diversification assisted migration mitigate anticipated decrease BC. We simulated long-term effects these management options case study area interior using toolbox that combines management- research-oriented data models. found combining best future shortages discuss limits approach identify research needs recommendations for studies aiming at modelling management, supply.

Language: Английский

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