Impacts of postfire salvage logging on understory plant communities of the boreal mixedwood forest 2 and 34 years after disturbance
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Published source details
Kurulok S.E. & Macdonald S.E. (2007) Impacts of postfire salvage logging on understory plant communities of the boreal mixedwood forest 2 and 34 years after disturbance. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 37, 2637-2651.
Published source details Kurulok S.E. & Macdonald S.E. (2007) Impacts of postfire salvage logging on understory plant communities of the boreal mixedwood forest 2 and 34 years after disturbance. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 37, 2637-2651.
Actions
This study is summarised as evidence for the following.
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Log/remove trees within forests: effects on understory plants Action Link |
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Log/remove trees within forests: effects on understory plants
A replicated, controlled study in 1968-2002 in temperate mixed wood forest in Alberta, Canada (Kurulok & Macdonald 2007) found that salvage logging increased the number of shrub species in early successional forest. In early successional forest, shrub species richness/100 m2 was higher in logged plots (logged: 11; unlogged: 9). There was no difference between treatments for herbaceous species richness (logged: 22; unlogged: 18) or all plants (logged: 33; unlogged: 27), or understory plant cover (logged: 94%; unlogged: 108%). In mid-successional forest, species richness/100 m2 of shrubs (logged: 20; unlogged: 18), herbs (logged: 26; unlogged: 23) and of all plants (logged: 22; unlogged: 41), and understory plant cover (logged: 88%; unlogged: 99%) were similar between treatments. Data were collected in 2002 in five logged (common operational salvage-logging) and five unlogged forest units. Two logged and two unlogged plots were established in mid-successional forests (burned by wildfire in 1968) and the other six in early successional forests (burned by wildfire in 1999). Understory plant cover was evaluated in two plots (1 m2) and species richness was determined in one plot (100 m2) in each of 13-20 sites within each forest unit.
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