Event Title
Black spruce (Picea mariana) as an indicator species of the effects of forestry on treed bos, southwest Nova Scotia
Description
The objective of this study was to establish whether black spruce (Picea mariana) could serve as an indicator of the effects of adjacent forestry on treed bogs in the heavily forested region of southwest Nova Scotia. The study contributes to the need to amend the province's forestry regulations to protect treed bog ecosystems. A dendroecological analysis of the radial growth trends of black spruce trees was conducted in three "pristine" and three "forestry proximal" treed bogs. Radial growth trends were found to vary between these two environments, and it was determined that these variations were likely tied to differing hydrological and precipitation regimes. Due to the temporal overlapping of forestry initiation at the forestry proximal study sites as well as the unexpectedly short interval of return to pristine radial growth trends (as short as 10 to 15 years), however, it remains difficult to discern the actual water regime changes resulting from effects of nearby forestry activity. The methodological decision to sample in the transition zone between true bog and poor fen may also have contributed to a weakened water regime signal. In the future, dendrohydrological studies of the black spruce species in its preferred habitat (i.e., only in true bog areas) may be more effective. Further research is needed to highlight the exact role that the altered hydrological regimes is having on the surrounding forest.
Document Type
Event
Start Date
8-3-2008 8:00 AM
Subject - LCSH
Black spruce--Effect of forest management on--Nova Scotia; Bog ecology--Effect of forest management on--Nova Scotia; Wetland forestry--Environmental aspects--Nova Scotia; Plant indicators; Bogs--Effect of forest management on--Nova Scotia; Wetland hydrology--Environmental aspects--Nova Scotia
End Date
8-3-2008 5:00 PM
Session
Forest Science II
Genre/Form
abstracts (summaries)
Type
event
Geographic Coverage
Nova Scotia
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Keywords
dendroecology, treed bogs, forestry, indicator species, hydrology
Black spruce (Picea mariana) as an indicator species of the effects of forestry on treed bos, southwest Nova Scotia
The objective of this study was to establish whether black spruce (Picea mariana) could serve as an indicator of the effects of adjacent forestry on treed bogs in the heavily forested region of southwest Nova Scotia. The study contributes to the need to amend the province's forestry regulations to protect treed bog ecosystems. A dendroecological analysis of the radial growth trends of black spruce trees was conducted in three "pristine" and three "forestry proximal" treed bogs. Radial growth trends were found to vary between these two environments, and it was determined that these variations were likely tied to differing hydrological and precipitation regimes. Due to the temporal overlapping of forestry initiation at the forestry proximal study sites as well as the unexpectedly short interval of return to pristine radial growth trends (as short as 10 to 15 years), however, it remains difficult to discern the actual water regime changes resulting from effects of nearby forestry activity. The methodological decision to sample in the transition zone between true bog and poor fen may also have contributed to a weakened water regime signal. In the future, dendrohydrological studies of the black spruce species in its preferred habitat (i.e., only in true bog areas) may be more effective. Further research is needed to highlight the exact role that the altered hydrological regimes is having on the surrounding forest.