A group of five members of the Continuous Cover Forestry Group visited the Eastern Provinces of Canada in autumn 2002 to view state of the art management practices in both hardwood and pine forest types.
Continuous cover forestry is becoming increasingly important on the international forestry scene. Until now, most UK foresters have drawn inspiration from European forestry practices, mainly because of the proximity of these forests and also the many common species. However, there is a parallel tradition of continuous cover forestry in North America, where expertise has been developed in a variety of selection and shelterwood systems.
The study tour was centred around the annual meeting of the Canadian Institute of Forestry, this year located at North Bay, Ontario. The tour also included a programme of field visits to areas where continuous cover silviculture practices had been developed.
The Current State of Forestry in Ontario |
A lot has happened to eastern Canada since the first European settlers arrived some 300 years ago. However it was the forest exploitation that occurred in the late 1800s to early 1900s that explains the current state of the forests. Central Ontario, for example, was a major reserve for eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum), along with a wide array of associate species, including northern red oak (Quercus rubra). Exploitation of this forest by clear cutting for pulpwood production and high grading (taking the best available trees at each stand intervention) for saw log and veneer production has resulted in large tracts of woodland that currently have a uniform size and age class distribution, poor form and relatively low value.
In recent years there has been a significant shift in forest policy in Ontario. This has largely come from public pressure to manage woodlands in a more sustainable manner, and also from the efforts of several non-governmental organisations and consumer groups. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has responded in a number of ways. Both the Crown Forest Sustainability Act (1995) and Forest Management Planning Manual (FMP) for Ontario’s Crown Forests, provide detailed guidance to those who are actively managing this resource. Through this legislation the MNR has introduced a new system of Sustainable Forestry Licenses, designed to encourage close cooperation between industrial and non-industrial users of the forest.
In conjunction with the FMP manual, there are currently thirty-five forest management guideline documents that provide detailed direction to forest managers for specific values such as marten, moose and caribou habitat; water quality; silviculture; cultural heritage values and others.
In effect, all parties must work towards an agreed series of strict codes and standards for sustainable forestry management. They have also undertaken a great deal of applied research in support of the work of field foresters and technicians.
This pattern of development is similar to the UK where the efforts of many organisations such as CCFG and Woodland Heritage are raising awareness and technical proficiency in continuous cover forestry.
One of the most important outcomes of changes in forest policy has been an increased interest in continuous cover forestry practices. Specifically, there are three major forest types of concern to foresters in central Ontario:
1. Tolerant hardwood forests. These are primarily composed of beech and sugar maple. These are mainly managed by singletree or small group selection systems. This system works very well with 33 shade tolerant species. In some areas, such as Algonquin Park, these systems have been practiced successfully for several decades and foresters have been able to demonstrate significant improvements in stand structure, tree growth rates, forest health and the quality of timber outputs. Within the park such developments have been undertaken against a backdrop of strong public pressure to maintain highest possible standards of silviculture that has minimum effect on the landscape and the overall "wilderness" experience of visitors from urban centres such as Toronto and Ottawa. We observed several harvest areas where two or more cutting cycles have taken place.
2. Mid-tolerant hardwood forests. Many sites throughout central Ontario are best suited for species such as red oak. Typically soils are free draining and somewhat nutrient poor. However, maple, beech and eastern hemlock (all shade tolerant species) have succeeded on many sites due to the repeated high grading of oak, yellow birch and basswood. Recent applied research has been focusing on shelterwood systems and large group selection systems to encourage vigorous natural regeneration of oak and birch. In many cases the regeneration of desirable mid-tolerant hardwoods is aided by understorey and group planting of desired species. There is also interest in using prescribed fire and advanced regeneration techniques to give the target species a more favourable head start over competing weed vegetation after harvesting operations.
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Thinning by objective-oriented silviculture. |
3. Pine forests. Both eastern white pine and red pine are dominant on drier and more nutrient poor sites throughout the region. Red pine is shade intolerant and eastern white pine is moderately shade tolerant. Both species are of great importance to the timber industry but have been the source of concern about poor rates of natural regeneration. Again, on many sites the shade tolerant hardwoods have been succeeding by regenerating in the understorey following thinning operations. Foresters have been developing shelterwood systems that closely control under-storey light levels. They have also been investigating soil conditions for optimum regeneration to help ensure rapid development of pine, in preference to other competing species. Operational success with these techniques was demonstrated at several locations in the Ottawa valley and in the North Bay area.
One of the most innovative developments in Ontario has been the establishment of a tree marking certification scheme.
Foresters and forest technicians are only allowed to mark trees on Crown Land if they have successfully completed the MNR Tree Marking Course. This is a rigorous training programme that includes in-class theory sessions and extensive field training, followed up by spot checks and reassessments at three-year intervals. The course includes components on timber quality and forest stand dynamics, but also places a lot of emphasis on biodiversity, wildlife habitat management, riparian zone management and general conservation.
Overall, the group left Canada recognising the great differences in forest types and species compared with the UK. We were also aware of the extensive management approach, where very large areas of woodland were available to supply a relatively small number of large mills and manufacturing enterprises. However, we were impressed with the resolve of all foresters to develop and perfect their silvicultural systems to improve the overall forest environment. From the woodlands we visited where there was a long history of management it was clear that significant gains could be achieved in terms of timber quality, while safeguarding the many other forest values. A long-term view and commitment from all concerned suggests that continuous cover systems have a strong future in this region of Canada. |
Two of the strongest impressions that may apply in the UK are the need to find markets for mid-size and relatively small dimension hardwood material and the development of a training or certification programme that will raise the standards of practice in continuous cover forestry.
There is a 17-page detailed and statistical report on the group’s findings which is available from Jim Ralph on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or from Woodland Heritage (with S.A.E. please). |