It’s About Time

Sleeuwen, Sabine Elise Marie van

doi:10.33540/1152

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…Fires were also set naturally by lightning, although Lorimer and White (2003) argue this was less common in northeastern North America because lightning strikes occur primarily during the growing season and are often accompanied by rain. More recently, fires were used widely by European settlers to clear land for agricultural development (Van Sleeuwen, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Historically, natural and anthropogenic fires are thought to have played an influential role in the distribution and composition of vegetation in southern Ontario (Van Sleeuwen, 2006). Prior to European settlement, Indigenous peoples engaged in burning practices to clear land and to promote grass production for habitat and forage for game (Dey & Guyette, 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Woody plant encroachment in granite barrens on the Frontenac Arch, eastern Ontario, Canada

Cohen

Danby

2023

Applied Vegetation Science

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Aims: Woody plant encroachment is a widespread phenomenon affecting treeless or sparsely treed habitats. We aimed to determine the extent and timing of tree and shrub encroachment into rock barrens of eastern Ontario over the last century, and to assess implications for their ongoing management. Location: Queen's University Biological Station in the Frontenac Arch ecoregion. Methods: We quantified the extent of change in woody vegetation in 290 rock barrens using aerial photography from 1925, 1965, and 2008. Composition and structure of woody plant communities in 10 barrens was subsequently quantified in the field using plot-based sampling. Cores or cross-sections were obtained from individuals >1.5 m height and dendrochronological techniques were used to determine their age and identify temporal patterns of any woody encroachment. Results: Aerial photography indicated that the mean proportion of woody plant cover in barrens increased 22.5% from 1925 to 2008. Dendroecological analysis supported this. Few trees were present prior to 1900 and most established since 1960. Fraxinus americana, Juniperus virginiana, and Juniperus communis were the most common woody species colonizing the barrens. Remnants of large Pinus strobus stumps with extensive charring were found in 90% of the sampled barrens at a mean density of 22.6 stumps ha −1 .Conclusions: Rock barrens on the Frontenac Arch have changed substantially over the past century; gradually being colonized by trees and shrubs and losing their distinctly open character. Active management -including prescribed fire and mechanical thinning -may be necessary if there is a desire to maintain these barrens and the rare species they support as components of the region's biodiversity. However, identification of a reference state for restoration is complicated by the fact that the structure and composition of these habitats were undoubtedly altered by European land clearance in the 19th century, and that some of these areas likely existed as pine woodlands before that.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%