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In response to David Websters question: "Just to clarify one point, do
you then agree with Nick that climate change will be of net benefit to
our forest ecosystem (or at least not detrimental)?"
I don't read into Nick comments an argument that climatic change will
be of "net benefit"or "not detrimental". Rather, by taking into
account the mosaic nature of our forests and its causes (a major one
being climatic change in the past), we can envisage and, I suppose,
might facilitate some positive or ameliorative outcomes in the future,
e.g., by introducing species that would eventually get here anyway.
While our forests types are diverse as Nick outlined, they are not
species diverse (an example at the genus level: we have one species of
oak versus close to a dozen not far to the south) which limits
forests' resistance/resilience to a variety of stressors. If warmer
temperatures would extend the potential range of species to the south
of us that are not currently here, why not introduce them to
accelerate their natural migration into this area? There is a pretty
large body of work by government, academic and industry professionals
looking at this sort of thing so it is hardly just "wishful dreaming"!
Speaking very much as a non-professional in forestry, where I question
Gary Saunders perspectives or see some inconsistency in his arguments
is in regard to the scale of natural disturbances. I think the
evidence is pretty good that the scale of natural disturbances in the
Acadian forest is generally much smaller than that in fire disturbed
boreal forest systems (and even foresters' concepts in that area have
moderated) and, I infer, much smaller than in most NS clearcuts.
Saunders: "The truth is Nova Scotia had plenty of even-aged woodland
(i.e., most trees of the same age) long before it had forest managers
or a forest industry. Contrary to popular urban myth, cathedral groves
were never that common on our windy peninsula."
Contrast that perspective with that of Mossler et al. 2003: Old-growth
forests of the Acadian Forest Region Environmental Reviews, 2003,
11(S1): S47-S77, 10.1139/a03-015
http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/publications?id=22859
From the abstract:
"Based on expected patterns of ecological succession, disturbance
dynamics, and stand development following catastrophic natural
disturbance intervals of about 1000 years, and from what the
geological record tells us about forest cover before European
settlement, we can project that as much as 50% of Maritime forest
landscape may have been dominated by late-successional old-growth
forest types over the 4000-5000 years before European settlement."
It is encouraging to me that in spite of his arguments that NS "had
plenty of even-aged woodland long before it had forest managers or a
forest industry", as a professional forester Saunders still expresses
disdain for large scale clearcuts and a preference for small clearcuts
("Small clearcuts I can live with. They somewhat copy nature (though
nature takes nothing away). They create usable wildlife habitat and
promote natural regeneration.") That viewpoint may be more
compatible with the "urban myths" about forestry than he might want to
admit!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Quoting David & Alison Webster <dwebster@glinx.com>:
> Hi Dave P & All, Oct 26, 2012
> Just to clarify one point, do you then agree with Nick that
> climate change will be of net benefit to our forest ecosystem (or at
> least not detrimental)?
>
> Certainly it was not my intent to defend even aged management but
> simply to observe that weather extremes will play havoc with forest
> management plans (which would include even aged management plans)
> and the forest cover of affected areas will tend to be relatively
> even aged.
>
> Turning to the quite different subject of even aged stands one
> may break it down readily into three aspects: all IMHO. One, as Gary
> noted, natural forces here will sometimes tend to generate them;
> budworm, fire, wind, [drought on shallow soils]. Depending upon soil
> and topography these stands may be quite large; e.g. fir of Cape
> Breton Highlands. Two, also as Gary noted, these natural and man
> made even aged stands (generated by abandonment of farm lands and by
> silviculture) were attractive for pulp purposes. Three, such stands
> were necessary but not now sufficient for a viable pulp industry in
> NS.
>
> We have a habit of dishing out wads of tax money to attract or
> hold pulp companies. It is just possible, along the model of Swiss
> 'farmers', that even less money might fund a group of people who
> were willing to personally manage select areas of woodland and
> harvest them selectively using horses or oxen.
>
> Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Patriquin" <patriqui@Dal.Ca>
> To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>; "David & Alison Webster" <dwebster@glinx.com>
> Sent: Friday, October 26, 2012 10:59 AM
> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Forest Perspectives...scale of disturbance
>
>
>> ...It is certainly well known that catastrophic events tend to
>> structure communities. I don't, however, follow the logic that
>> justifes a lot of even aged management on that basis, rather it
>> argues for increased diversity, multi-aged/ management...
>>
>> to which I should have added:
>>
>> at least in the context of gap driven dynamics characteristic of
>> the Acadian forest (versus fire driven dynamics of the boreal
>> forest).
>>
>>
>>
>> Quoting David & Alison Webster <dwebster@glinx.com>:
>>
>>> Hi Dave P. & All, Oct 25, 2012
>>> I read both of these, and by way of disclaimer don't know either
>>> Gary or Nick, but thought that Gary's article was soundly based
>>> and Nick's seemed out of touch with reality.
>>>
>>> According to Nick e.g., if we just manage our Acadian forests
>>> properly then even climate change will be a good thing; Magnolias,
>>> Shagbark Hickory, Tulip Poplar, an amazement of understory
>>> wildflowers--- wow, who would have known ?
>>>
>>> Sadly there is more to climate change than warmer temperatures
>>> and the dangerous element to forest trees in this area will likely
>>> be extreme variation of weather.
>>>
>>> Even one seriously adverse year in 100 can make a mess of good
>>> management and 2012 was not great in my North Alton woodlot, to
>>> take one example that I happen to know well. A large number of
>>> the few spruce that did not die following extreme drought near
>>> the turn of the century, or blow over in the wind of Dec 2010
>>> looked very stressed during the unusually prolonged drought this
>>> summer and a fair proportion dropped all or nearly all of their
>>> needles. Based of observation of similar circumstances elsewhere
>>> I expect thickets of even aged trash trees (Fir & Poplar) will
>>> fill the clearings.
>>>
>>> When there is serious windfall even salvage is an option only if
>>> you are an industrial scale operator. Following the windthrow of
>>> Dec 2010 I took a rough survey of damage and decided to try horse
>>> logging, the trees being scattered, and sawing with a portable
>>> mill at 4-5 brows by hiring the work and offering a split of the
>>> proceeds. The owner of a portable mill kindly advised me to
>>> proceed only if I had a use for the lumber and went on to explain
>>> that he had many trees over in 500 acres and had decided to let
>>> it rot in the woods; the lumber can be sold only if certified and
>>> certification is not practical for small lots.
>>>
>>> And the industrial scale outlook for pulp is bleak. A study of
>>> pulp production costs worldwide some 15-20 years ago (sorry no
>>> reference) found that Atlantic Canada had by far the highest costs
>>> worldwide for pulp delivered to the mill site. And diversion of
>>> sawmill waste to pulp mills helped to keep sawmills afloat but,
>>> given the shrinking demand for paper, this could unravel within a
>>> decade.
>>>
>>> So there are serious problems ahead for forests, forestry
>>> industries and the rural economy and clear-headed, fact-based
>>> thinking is called for as opposed to wishful dreaming.
>>>
>>> Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Patriquin" <patriqui@dal.ca>
>>> To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
>>> Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2012 9:49 AM
>>> Subject: [NatureNS] Forest Perspectives
>>>
>>>
>>>> I hope everyone reads Nick Hill's perspective of our forests, so
>>>> wonderfully expressed and refreshing after the dismal, rural vs
>>>> urban, Saunders Op-Ed
>>>>
>>>> Nick: Take a walk into the future in the Acadian forest
>>>> http://thech.ca/RXLoLA
>>>>
>>>> Saunders
>>>> http://thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/151384-taking-a-walk-in-the-woods-and-through-nova-scotia-s-past
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----
>>>> No virus found in this message.
>>>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>>>> Version: 2013.0.2741 / Virus Database: 2614/5333 - Release Date: 10/15/12
>>>> Internal Virus Database is out of date.
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> David Patriquin
>> 6165 Murray Place
>> Halifax, N.S.
>> Canada B3H 1R9
>> e-mail: patriqui@dal.ca
>> Phone: 902-4235716
>>
>> Professor of Biology (retired)
>> Dalhousie University http://www.dal.ca
>>
>> Halifax Field Naturalists http://halifaxfieldnaturalists.ca
>> Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society http://nswildflora.ca
>> Young Naturalists Club of Nova Scotia http://ync.nature1st.net/
>> Woodens River Watershed Environmental Organization http://wrweo.ca
>> Control of Chinch Bug without Pesticides http://versicolor.ca/lawns
>>
>>
>> -----
>> No virus found in this message.
>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>> Version: 2013.0.2741 / Virus Database: 2614/5333 - Release Date: 10/15/12
>> Internal Virus Database is out of date.
>>
>
>
>
David Patriquin
6165 Murray Place
Halifax, N.S.
Canada B3H 1R9
e-mail: patriqui@dal.ca
Phone: 902-4235716
Professor of Biology (retired)
Dalhousie University http://www.dal.ca
Halifax Field Naturalists http://halifaxfieldnaturalists.ca
Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society http://nswildflora.ca
Young Naturalists Club of Nova Scotia http://ync.nature1st.net/
Woodens River Watershed Environmental Organization http://wrweo.ca
Control of Chinch Bug without Pesticides http://versicolor.ca/lawns
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