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OOS-32: Forest disturbance regimes in the circumboreal forest zone:
Natural variability and implications for forest management and biodiversity
conservation
Endorsed
by the ESA Applied Ecology Section
Wednesday,
August 10, 8 AM - 11:30 AM, Meeting Room 516c, Level 5, Palais
des congrès de Montréal
Organizers:
Sylvie Gauthier (sgauthier@cfl.forestry.ca),
Timo Kuuluvainen, Daniel Kneeshaw
Description:
Ecosystem management of forests is a concept widely adopted by both
ecologists and forest managers. This approach is based on the principle that
forest management activities, to be sustainable, should be based on the
understanding of natural disturbances in order to maintain natural processes,
structures, and thereby biodiversity. Although the boreal forest has
traditionally been considered a relatively homogeneous ecosystem, recent
findings suggest that the disturbance dynamics and structural characteristics of
forests vary widely among regions. Forest regions thriving in moister climatic
conditions (e.g., Eastern North America or Fennoscandia) are characterized by
complex gap- and patch-scale dynamics driven by tree mortality due to non-fire
disturbances. In areas with more continental climates, such as interior Canada
and Siberia, large wildfires are reported as the most important disturbance
factor. This session will focus on the disturbance regimes characteristics and
implications for forest management and biodiversity conservation of different
regions of the circumboreal zone. Examples will come from North America,
Fennoscandia, and Russia.
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