Science > Infrastructure Management: Black Sturgeon Boreal Mixedwood Research Project

Infrastructure Management: The Black Sturgeon Boreal Mixedwood Research Project

Study Leader: D. Allan Cameron
alcam@NRCan.gc.ca

Study Description:

This study provides coordination and infrastructure management for the multidisciplinary, multi-agency Black Sturgeon Boreal Mixedwood Research Project. This project, established in 1993, focusses upon ecosystem response to silvicultural disturbance--harvesting, fire, site preparation, aquatics--in second-growth mixedwood stands. The harvest component, which also addresses the issue of alternative silvicultural systems for mixedwood stands, compares the impacts of partial cutting versus those of clearcutting for a broad range of ecosystem elements (site impacts, logging damage to residual trees and advance growth, pathological and entomological responses, post-harvest vegetation succession and structure, seedbank
dynamics, forest renewal, stand dynamics, growth and yield, soil nutrient dynamics, soil fauna, wildlife relationships--songbirds, small mammals, amphibians).

Much of the experimental site was burnt in a wildfire that occurred on May 5, 1999. Some research has been redirected, other boreal mixedwood sites under the umbrella of this project have been located. Reeves Township, east of Foleyet, ON is a level boreal mixedwood site suitable for Fluxnet and boreal mixedwood watersheds south of White River, ON will be the subject of Riparian Zone Harvesting studies.

This is a cooperative project of CFS GLFC, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR), Bowater Inc., Tembec Inc. and Domtar, with research participation that includes CFS GLFC, OMNR Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research, OMNR Northwest Region Science & Technology, OMNR Northeast Science & Information, FERIC-East, Lakehead University, Queen's U., U. of Guelph, and College Boreal of Sudbury.

This study provides services and baseline data for the benefit of all research participants in the project.