The Acadian forest: Historical condition and human impacts

Abstract

The Acadian Forest Region comprises the three Maritime Provinces of Canada, each of which has a distinct history resulting in different patterns of land ownership, land use, and impacts on the forest. The region encompasses a high degree of physiographic and biological diversity, being situated where the warm, moist influence of the Gulf Stream from the south collides with the cold Labrador Current and the boreal forest gradually gives way to mostly deciduous forest. Natural forest types in the Acadian Forest Region include rich tolerant hardwood, similar to the deciduous forests to the south; spruce-fir forest, similar to boreal forest to the north; and an array of coniferous, deciduous, and mixed intermediate types. Red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.), sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) are considered characteristic of the Acadian Forest Region. Except for one quantitative study in one county of New Brunswick, and another study on Prince Edward Island, most knowledge of the historical forest condition has been gleaned from early descriptions by explorers, surveyors, and settlers of the Maritimes region. Although some regions have been affected much more than others, little, if any forested area has escaped human influence over the past four centuries. A general result of human activities has been a shift in successional status and age distribution, with increased frequency of relatively young, often even-aged, early successional forest types including balsam fir, white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss), red maple (Acer rubrum L.), white birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.), and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.). Both the abundance and age of late-successional species such as sugar maple, red spruce, eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis L. Carrière), yellow birch, cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.), and beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) have declined.Key words: pre-European forest, Maritime Provinces, historical ecology, witness trees, Acadian forest types, natural disturbance La région forestière acadienne est constituée des trois provinces maritimes, chacune ayant une histoire distincte qui est à l'origine de modes de propriété et d'utilisations des terres ainsi que des répercussions sur les forêts qui lui sont propres. Située au point de rencontre de l'influence chaude et humide du Gulf Stream et du courant du Labrador froid et où la forêt boréale laisse graduellement la place à une forêt en grande partie décidue, cette région comprend une grande diversité physiographique et biologique. La région forestière acadienne comprend les types de forêts naturelles suivantes : forêt productive de feuillus tolérants, semblable aux forêts décidues du sud; forêt d'épinettes et de sapins, semblable à la forêt boréale plus au nord; divers types de forêts conifériennes, décidues et mixtes.

A survey of tree species of concern in Canada: the role for genetic conservation

“…Despite its rela- tively small area (second smallest after the Mixedwood Plains Ecozone), it has the second highest tree species diversity, reflecting a high degree of ecological diversity, primarily because of geological and maritime influences. Much of the area has been exploited for wood products for more than three centuries, which has substantially changed the forest character (Loo and Ives 2003) and has probably contributed to the fact that the ecozone also has the second highest number of species requiring gene conservation. It is the second most densely populated region of Canada.…”

Saproxylic beetle (Coleoptera) communities and forest management practices in coniferous stands in southwest Nova Scotia, Canada

“…(Fagaceae), and eastern larch (Larix laricina (Du Roi) (Pinaceae). Natural disturbances for this type of forest are typically fi ne-scale fi re, wind, diseases, and insects (Loo and Ives 2003). Th e study sites were located on the private land of Bowater Mersey Paper Company Limited (Fig.…”

“…Although old growth stands are rare in the Acadian forest region, their contribution to biodiversity may be signifi cant (Loo and Ives 2003;Stewart et al 2003;McMullin et al 2008). Th e structural heterogeneity provided by CWD in forest ecosystems also gives rise to a wide range of ecological niches at the small-scale level.…”

“…Few examples of really old forests with canopy trees of 250-300+ years old still exist. Although 73% of the land base is forested, no more than 0.6% of that land is comprised of old-growth forests (McMahon 1989;Loo and Ives 2003).…”

Tree species of concern in New Brunswick, Canada. II. Guidelines for conservation of genetic resources

“…Land development, forest conversion, land clearing for agriculture, and other land-use practices have influenced forest tree populations in New Brunswick (NB) over the past three centuries, diminishing the numbers of some species and providing an opportunity for others to increase (Loo and Ives 2003). Recent concern over the impacts of climate change, especially in combination with introduced pathogens and pests, highlights the vulnerability and importance of forest genetic resources.…”