Safeguarding forest biodiversity and function in an era of rapid change

[Samuel F. Bartels, Natural Science & Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grant (Funded)]

Ongoing loss of biodiversity in forest ecosystems, occasioned by rapid land use and global climate change, has prompted concerns about the sustainability of forest ecosystems and the goods and services that they provide to humanity. This project seeks to address three pressing contemporary issues of conservation concern, namely impoverishment of biodiversity, loss of ecological function, and the ever-growing threats of climate change in natural and human-modified ecosystems. The goal is to contribute new knowledge and understanding of the impact on forest biodiversity and ecosystem function, with the aim of developing new conservation approaches to creating resistance and resilience amidst local and global environmental changes. 

The primary research objectives are to:  1) understand and predict the response of forest biodiversity (incl. sensitive taxa that are considered vulnerable or could become threatened) to natural and anthropogenic disturbances (incl. harvesting, wildfire, climate change-induced heat and drought stress, others) and the mechanisms involved; 2) assess thresholds in critical habitat provisioning in managed, degraded, and restored forest ecosystems; and 3) predict and test hypotheses regarding the interaction between changing disturbance regimes and climate on forest biodiversity and ecosystem function.

Validation and characterization of old growth forests and values from an Indigenous perspective in the southern Coast Mountain region

[Hayden W. Leo, Samuel F. Bartels, MITACS Indigenous Research Award (Funded)]

Old-growth forests provide habitats for many plants and animals and support uncommon species and species-at-risks, as well as provide various ecosystem services, including recreation, water (quality and quantity), biodiversity, carbon sequestration and storage to help mitigate climate change, among others. Indigenous people express strong cultural connections to old growth forests located within their territories and use those areas to hunt, trap, gather foods and medicines, and other spiritually important practices. Due to their important economic, ecological, cultural, and social values to the to people of British Columbia (BC), there has been an increased effort to identify, preserve, and conserve old-growth forests in the province. However, present delineation and mapping of old growth in the province rely heavily on the use of vegetation resource inventory (VRI) data most of which contain outdated information. Without recent and actual ground truth data, there is the risk of misidentification and mischaracterization in this era of rapid land use change. 

With a focus on community-based stewardship and management of old growth forests, this project will encapsulate the knowledge and priorities of the Lil’wat Nation in matters relating to old growth forest management and conservation in BC. Specifically, the project will help to identify and delineate culturally and spiritually significant areas within the territory and help define priority areas for protection. This includes the presence and quality of wildlife habitats, recreational value, presence and abundance of Indigenous medicinal plants, as well as the viability for spiritually important practices (e.g., ceremonies, harvesting monumental cedar, bark stripping). Additionally, the project will build the capacity and interest of Indigenous youth in forest mensuration and research data collection.

Meta-analysis to advance the biodiversity benefits and impacts of innovative silviculture in British Columbia

[Samuel F. Bartels, Silviculture Innovation Program (pending)]

The project seeks to advance knowledge of how innovative silviculture practices may be deployed to promote multiple values under a biodiversity, habitat protection and conservation framework. By means of a comprehensive meta-analysis and synthesis of existing and historic research trials in BC, our goal is to gather, assess, analyze, and summarize empirical evidence of the benefits and impacts of innovative silviculture to bridge gaps in knowledge, define priorities, and to inform policy and implementation. 

This project will provide an evidence-based assessment and analysis of the state of knowledge of innovation silviculture in BC, specifically regarding the goals and objectives defined for biodiversity conservation and habitat protection values. This will be achieved through an ongoing collaboration (including site visits, research methods, and data sharing agreements) between researchers and forest practitioners across the province in efforts to support extension and stewardship of innovative silviculture and influence policy in BC. Findings from this research project will be disseminated to key stakeholders, including forest managers, licensees, researchers and forest practitioners in various formats, such as research notes, technical reports, research posters, infographics, open access research articles, among others. We plan to publish the findings in the local BCFP Magazine to reach a wider audience of forest practitioners and the innovative silviculture community of practice.

Ecological restoration of wildlife forage in a young monoculture pine plantation in Central-Interior B.C.

[Samuel F. Bartels, Julia Bizon, Brandon Geldart, Jeff Werner; Society of Ecosystem Restoration in Northern B.C. (Funded)]

This project assessed and analyzed stand thinning and artificial canopy gaps as potential restoration treatments to enhance wildlife forage and native plant biodiversity in planted monoculture lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta ssp. latifolia) forests near Vanderhoof in northern British Columbia. The goal was to examine the early (1 – 3 years) response of the forest understory plant community to the treatments, with specific focus on the cover, richness, and diversity. The treatments included thinning densities of 200, 400, and 600 stems/ha contrasted with an unthinned (control) stand, and artificial gap openings of 0.2 ha, 0.5 ha, 1.0 ha and 2 ha in size in a young (~25-year-old) pine plantation. 

Preliminary analyses of the field data overall indicated inadequate recruitment of target wildlife forage species (including willow, birch, aspen, and other shrubs) following the treatments. Specifically, herbaceous species richness was higher in thinning treatment, particularly 600 stems/ha as well as the canopy gap treatments than in the control. But herbaceous cover and diversity were not significantly influenced by the thinning or canopy gap treatments. Shrub layer species diversity was higher in the larger gaps than in the smaller gaps three years after the treatments. There was a nonlinear relationship between understory species richness (i.e., the number of species) and stem density, reaching peak levels at 1500 stems/ha, as well as negative relationships between understory diversity and basal area and canopy cover. A follow-up seedling emergence trial conducted to assess the viability of the soil seedbank in the greenhouse indicated a rather poor germination, which implied that the soils are likely devoid of the target wildlife forage species. Given these results, we conclude that active restoration approaches, including seeding or planting to (re)introduce target wildlife species and their propagules may be needed to restore wildlife forage and native plant biodiversity in this heavily modified landscape.

The Cutblock Biodiversity Initiative

[Samuel F. Bartels; Bridge Grant (Funded), BC Conservation & Biodiversity Awards (pending)]

The cutblock biodiversity initiative seeks to emphasize the retention of ecological structures and biological legacies, such as downed woody debris, to promote the diversity and conservation of rare and endangered deadwood-dependent forest floor species, including mosses, liverworts, lichens, fungi, and invertebrate communities. This initiative aligns with the Province of British Columbia's (B.C.) recent framework for safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem health. The project involves extensive field data collection on the amount and variability of downed woody debris (including percent ground coverage, size, decay status, and moisture content) and their dependent flora and fauna at the plot-level in young, mature, and old-growth experiacross B.C. By focusing on the scale of a cutblock, our quantitative efforts will help to determine ecological thresholds, i.e., how much deadwood materials should be left on site following harvesting to conserve and preserve the diversity of rare and sensitive forest floor species. This is the first ever attempt toward such critical quantitative information, which is badly needed to regularize forest harvest operations or restoration to increasingly accommodate forest biodiversity conservation priorities. The first phase of this initiative will involve extensive field data collection by many experts and trainees to establish a broad database of multiple forest structural attributes and their associated species in dominant forest types for quantitative analyses. Later phases will extend the data collection efforts and approach to other forest systems across British Columbia Thus, the outcomes of the proposed initiative will be instrumental in setting appropriate benchmarks to inform forest management and future policy decisions in the province regarding the retention of biological structures and legacies in managed ecosystems to promote and conserve forest biodiversity..

Remeasurements of the group shelterwood silvicultural systems trial (EP 1361) in the Fort Nelson region

[Samuel F. Bartels, Richard Kabzems; BC Ministry of Forests, Northeast and Omineca regions (Funded)]

This project, contracted by the British Columbia Ministry of Forests, provided a preliminary assessment and analysis of a research endeavour to revisit and remeasure field data from an old group shelterwood silvicultural trial in the Fort Nelson District of British Columbia. The main goal was to examine the survival and performance of both planted and naturally regenerated white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) more than two decades after the last measurements. The silvicultural trial involved two experimental gap openings, 1.0 ha and 0.13 ha in size across four study sites located in the Boreal White and Black Spruce biogeoclimatic subzone, moist–warm variant (BWBSmw2). Preliminary results based on a limited field data collection suggested an acceptable level of stocking of white spruce and trembling aspen in the treatment plots. Overall, regeneration was higher in the planted or artificially regenerated stands than in the natural regeneration treatments, and performance (in terms of height and diameter growth) of white spruce and trembling aspen was better in the large canopy gaps (1.0 ha) than in the small gaps (0.13 ha). The results suggested that plot interior versus the intermediate or edge portions of the plot may provide contrasting habitats suitable for the regeneration of trembling aspen and white spruce that differ in their demand for light and shade. Operational challenges such as inaccessibility of roads and trails for some of the sites as well as inadequate documentation highlighted the need to maintain existing research plots especially when the experiment is designed to run in the long term. It is hoped that the next phase of the remeasurement effort would yield a comprehensive data and information necessary to examine the long-term prospects of the group shelterwood silvicultural trial.

Encroachment and niche expansion of common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale): Best weed management practices and treatment efficacies on lawns and outdoor recreational spaces

[Samuel F. Bartels, Simran Gill; Research Project Award (Funded), BC Real Estate Foundation (pending)]

The ever-pervasive common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), is a naturalized (non-native to North America) aggressive spreading species that alter natural habitats. Although it is presently not recognized as an invasive species, its competitive growth habits and persistence qualifies it as a true invasive species. On managed landscapes and outdoor recreation sites, the presence and dominance of the species add substantial costs to weed management. For landscapers and gardeners, it is a bane and an annoying species that is hard to eradicate. 

This project aims to (1) review the niche requirements and competitive traits of the species, including its flowering phenology and seed bank persistence to provide novel insights into the growth and persistence of the species. In terms of weed management, the project also aims to (2) review current weed management of dandelions, including an evaluation of both conventional and unconventional treatment options for their efficacies. This will compare the efficacies of weed management and suppression options that are applied as part of landscaping efforts in major municipalities and propose the best viable treatment option. Also, the project will (3) work with Indigenous knowledge keepers to incorporate Traditional Ecological Knowledge on dandelion weed management. Given sufficient funds and resources, there will be opportunity to (4) experimentally test the best treatment recommendation on city parks and private lawns.