Products

Lake Abitibi Model Forest  Communications and Outreach Plan

Phase III, 2002-2007;  Year III, 2004-2005

The Lake Abitibi Model Forest Communications and Outreach Plan  is available free of charge from the Lake Abitibi Model Forest office, or digitally in PDF format. It can be down-loaded by clicking on the graphic of the cover.  This Communications and Outreach Plan delivers a responsive and effective suite of communications components for The Lake Abitibi Model Forest. 

Available free of charge from the Lake Abitibi Model Forest office in hardcopy only, the Simulating Forest Growth and Carbon Dynamics Report presents results that provide information needed by local forest managers to develop ecological and carbon-based indicators, and monitor the sustainability of their forest ecosystems. The study assessed the temporal and spatial variability in forest growth and carbon storage to provide a comprehensive estimate of the carbon budget for boreal ecosystems in the Lake Abitibi Model Forest. The stand-level growth and carbon dynamics for the LAMF were simulated using a new process-based forest growth and carbon dynamics model called TRIPLEX1.0 and Geographic Information System (G.I.S.) software. The model was validated using 49 permanent sample plots (PSPs) collected in the LAMF. The results show that the net primary productivity of the LAMF ranged from 3.26 to 3.34 tonnes of carbon per hectare per year in the 1990’s and was sensitive to changes in annual temperature and precipitation. The density of total above and below-ground biomass was 125.3, 111.8 and 106.5 tonnes of carbon per hectare for black spruce, trembling aspen and jack pine respectively. These net primary productivity values were consistent with boreal studies in central Canada. Estimates of carbon based on forest stand variables (tree age, species, soil type, site class) and analysis of the net carbon balance suggest that the LAMF forest ecosystem was acting as a carbon sink in the 1990’s.

The Compendium of Phase II Projects is available free of charge from the Lake Abitibi Model Forest office, or digitally in PDF format. It can be down-loaded by clicking on the graphic of the cover. Phase II of the Lake Abitibi Model Forest ran from 1997 to 2002. During this five year period, much was accomplished. Phase II projects are presented in the Compendium under five broad themes:

• Education, Communications, Technology Transfer and Public Awareness
• Socio-Economic
• Ecology, Biological Diversity and Wildlife
• Forest Management Practices and Forest Productivity
• Local Level Indicators

The Compendium of Projects is intended to provide the reader with an overview synopsis of individual projects completed during Phase II. Not all projects undertaken during Phase II are presented, but those showcased are a good representation. In total, 43 projects are highlighted, complete with an explanation of the rational behind each, the project objectives, and most importantly, the results and outcomes, with their application and relevance toward a specific aspect of sustainable forest management. Phase II was a busy and productive period for the Lake Abitibi Model Forest. The projects described in the compendium illustrate that much was accomplished and that much remains to be done.

Ecology and Management of Claybelt Forests: A Knowledge Synthesis

The Knowledge Synthesis Publication has been hailed as a major achievement and milestone for the Lake Abitibi Model Forest. The document consolidates over 680 references of relevant claybelt forestry research and management experience from a number of claybelt organizations, drawing upon published literature, non-published reports, and expert opinion. Many experienced writers and editors have been involved in bringing the publication to its full potential. In the spirit of adaptive management, the Knowledge Synthesis Publication identifies needs for management and presents some directions for researchers, forest managers, and policy-makers to consider as they advance the science and practice of sustainable forest management. The content also includes a detailed description of the claybelt forest, its flora, fauna, ecosystem dynamics, natural and human disturbance patterns and history, present human activities, and forest productivity. The process of synthesizing claybelt knowledge and applying that knowledge to forest management will be ongoing. It will be supported by spatial and strategic modeling, enhanced capture and processing of data, economic analyses, and refined policies and guidelines. Above all, it will be a learning process, fuelled by the expertise and experience of people with an abiding interesting the northern boreal forest of Ontario and Quebec. The Lake Abitibi Model Forest will be a catalyst in this process. The Knowledge Synthesis Publication is a solid contribution that will generate discussion and catalyze initiatives to advance the operational development of claybelt ecosystem knowledge. It is available in both English and French.

This Lake Abitibi Model Forest publication was made possible by the dedication and commitment of expertise generously provided by Abitibi-Consolidated Company of Canada, Tembec Industries Inc., Canadian Forest Service, Ministère des Ressources naturelles du Québec, NSERC-UQAT-UQAM Industrial Chair in Sustainable Forest Management, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Université du Québec à Montréal, Hearst Forest Management Inc., Nexfor-Norbord, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Groupe de recherché en écologie forestière interuniversitaire.

Available from the Lake Abitibi Model Forest Office - Price: $25

Mysteries of the Boreal Forest is a fabulous tool for teaching students about the beauty and complexity of life in the boreal forest. It stimulates interest in the stewardship of forests, while providing a comprehensive description of the issues involved in forest management. It is an activity book intended to provide a simple, flexible tool that will help teachers, parents, and interpretive program leaders to achieve both the broad goals outlined in the Ontario School Curriculum, and the specific targets set for primary, junior and intermediate classrooms. Mysteries has both English and French activities.

Available from the Lake Abitibi Model Forest Office - Price: $15

The HARP Manual presents a financially feasible and operationally sound alternative to clear-cuts. Harvesting with Regeneration Protection (HARP) is a unique harvesting method that protects the advance growth present on a site. HARP results in an uneven-aged forest. The method emulates and takes advantage of natural processes in older lowland black spruce stands. Forest products companies can use this manual to develop HARP operations. The manual and its accompanying half-hour video are available in both English and French.

Available from the Lake Abitibi Model Forest Office.

The Manual for Environmentally Responsible Forestry Operations in Ontario is an essential guide for all harvesting operators working in the boreal forest. It provides assistance to forest workers as they search for new ways to be environmentally responsible in their work. The manual illustrates basic environmental protection goals and logging techniques that can be used to shorten the forest harvest rotation time, while at the same time enhancing wildlife habitat and aesthetic values. It clearly outlines methods and practices that maintain the environmental integrity of the forest ecosystem through good long-term planning and careful logging operations.

Available from the Lake Abitibi Model Forest Office.

Minimizing Soil Disturbance in Forestry Operations is an important resource for anyone working in forestry operations. This field guide emphasizes practical on-the-ground forestry and resource use methods for dealing with soil protection. With detailed background information derived from publications such as Ministry of Natural Resources guidelines and the most current scientific literature, the guide is written in plain language and is suitable for educational purposes. It is visually oriented, with a clear photographic series demonstrating the concepts and potential results of soil disturbance, as well as preventative techniques in a variety of situations. It is designed to be used in the field, at forestry operation sites.

Available from the Lake Abitibi Model Forest Office.

By K. A. Armson

Sixty-four percent of Ontario’s 106.8 million hectares is covered by forest. Yet to the average resident who spends only limited time in the forest – hiking, skiing, camping, cottaging or on the occasional northern getaway – it is still much of a mystery. In Ontario Forests, veteran forester Ken Armson draws on over 50 years experience to describe this living blanket which has shaped much of the province and stands to dictate a great deal

of its future.

Ontario Forests is an authoritative account of Ontario’s forest regions and their history. Complete with maps, charts and full-colour photography, each forest region is located and detailed. The various tree species which make each region unique are also highlighted, and their origins in glaciation, physiographic and geological change, climatic and soil variation analyzed. Dr. Armson also describes the impact of humans, from aboriginal use through lumbering to the rise of reforestation and conservation.

Mr. Armson’s book is available through our office - $30.

Time since fire map, age-class distribution and forest dynamics in the Lake Abitibi Model Forest.

By Sylvie Gauthier, Patrick Lefort, Yves Bergeron and Pierre Drapeau

The report is one in a series of publications produced by the Laurentian Forestry Centre, and is generating considerable interest, and many requests for copies. It focuses on mapping fire history in the Lake Abitibi Model Forest, and the role that fire has played in the forest’s current structure. It also presents some sustainable forest management considerations based on this fire disturbance history.

The report presents details and results of a study on the fire history and forest dynamics within the Lake Abitibi Model Forest. Using aerial photographs, archival documents, and field sampling, the study team created a ‘time since fire map’ for the entire landbase. The production of the map allowed the calculation of age class distribution, the size distribution of stands, the forest composition in each age class, and the fire cycle for different time periods (e.g. the time needed to burn an area equal in size to the study area). Results indicate that large parts of the Lake Abitibi Model Forest have not burned for long periods of time. This suggests that fires have generally been large and that time between fires is long. During the past 300 years, the forest fire cycle length has significantly increased from less than 100 years before the year 1850, to more

than 400 years after the year 1920. It was also found that forest stands that have not burned for more than 100 years represent 78% of the studied area, with some portions not having burned for 200 or even 250 years. Jack pine, poplar and white birch species occupy larger areas in sites that have burned within the last 100 years than in the older sites, while black spruce and balsam fir species are more common in sites older than 100 years. The mean time since fire for forest stands is 172 years, suggesting that the global fire cycle is longer than the normal rotation of the studied area. The differences between a natural age class distribution and an even-aged forest must be considered in management activities. Even-aged management tends to decrease the amount of old forest, one of several landscape types important in maintaining biodiversity. However, the longer rotations that would be prevalent with a natural age class distribution (uneven-aged management) could lead to a decrease in allowable cut. By using different treatments and practices that conserve certain structural characteristics of older stands, a reconciliation of these two issues may be possible. Newer practices such as HARP that are currently being used in the Lake Abitibi Model Forest may contribute positively to this approach.

Available from the Lake Abitibi Model Forest Office.