Unit 3 - Types of Forest Research


Lesson 4

Landscape Level Management

Landscape level management is the art and science of developing land management plans for extensive areas. It involves managing land on a large scale, not just in the specific area where a forestry company happens to be operating.

A leading experiment in landscape level management is known as the EMEND project (Ecosystem Management Emulating Natural Disturbance). This project, covering 1,000 hectares of forest northwest of Peace River, is one of the world's largest research sites. EMEND began in 1998. Although it is centred at the University of Alberta, it involves many partners, including several research agencies, provincial and federal governments, and forest companies operating in Alberta.

This research is building on the well-established fact that the boreal forest has been primarily shaped by natural disturbances (example, forest fires) for thousands of years. Generally speaking, forest fires do not destroy everything in their path. Rather, they tend to leave patches of forest behind. These residual patches appear to play a very important role in preserving the biodiversity of species within the forest. This is because the mosaic of plant communities left behind after a fire provides the variety of trees and plants to sustain various species of wildlife. Given that fact, should tree harvesting practices in the boreal forest seek to emulate (mimic) the effects of forest fire? When forest companies are cutting down trees, how many trees should be left behind and in what patterns? The EMEND project is seeking to answer these questions.

Click here and watch the video in order to better understand the design of the EMEND experiment.


Wildlife Inventory

Forest management practices in Canada's forests must take wildlife into account. Harvesting the forest disturbs the ecosystem and can have a negative effect on the various species that live there.

However, many wildlife species are not readily visible and hard to study. This is why scientists often study bird populations as an overall barometer of forest health. In other words, the presence of certain birds and their preferred habitat can be used to indirectly measure the health of other forest wildlife.


              Image Source: Pixabay

One example of research in this area involves the study of riparian zones. Riparian zones are places where the forest meets a water source (example, river banks). These zones are critical to the forest ecosystem because they regulate the flow of water and nutrients, provide habitat for wildlife, and serve as travel corridors for many species. Typically riparian zones are protected from harvesting, leading to water bodies that are completely lined on all sides by mature forest. This, however, is not a naturally occurring pattern. In the natural state, riparian zones tend to be more "patchy" due to natural disturbances that periodically affect the area (example, fire, pest infestation, and disease). Some trees along water bodies are removed by the forces of nature, while other trees are left behind. The Canadian Forest Service is currently conducting research to investigate how harvesting practices in riparian zones impacts wildlife habitat in these critical areas.