The current status of forest site classification in Ontario

Abstract

Forest sites are diagnostic forest-landscape ecosystem units that resource managers must deal with during the planning and implementation stages of management. Forest sites are the basic building blocks for undertaking integrated resource management which weighs wildlife, recreation, environmental impact and various other concerns along with timber harvesting. Consequently, accurate and practical systems for classifying and mapping forest sites are becoming increasingly necessary to organize, communicate and use existing and new management knowledge and experience effectively.Over the past four decades in Ontario, a number of studies and resource surveys have provided important background information on forest sites. Many have considered, to varying extents, the integrative roles of vegetation, soil-site, landform and general climate on forests and forest land. Generally, the emphasis has been on description and classification, with results generating a better understanding of how various forests in different areas develop, both qualitatively and quantitatively, in relation to soil-site or other features of the basic land resource. Some of these studies and surveys have been instrumental in advancing the definitions and understanding of forested ecosystems. Others have provided new information on site dynamics, interrelationships and functions, or have contributed to the science (and art) of site evaluation and classification.This paper briefly summarizes the current status of forest site classification in Ontario. Over time, the role of forest site classification has evolved in response to new technologies and information, and to new emphases and values in resource management. In general, site classification research has become increasingly integrative and quantitative. Some of the important future challenges facing forest site classification in Ontario are briefly discussed. Key words: ecological land classification, forest ecology, forest ecosystem classification, forest management interpretations, forest site classification, land use planning, Ontario.

An ecological land classification approach to modeling the production of forest biomass

“…Hills' approach emphasized the interaction of physiography, macroclimate and vegetation to describe variation in forest ecosystems at the landscape level (Rowe 1962). Mapping entities based on observations from aerial photography was central to the method, and a hierarchy of ecological units was established from large site regions derived from broad macroclimatic and physiographic trends to more specific forest types based on physical and biotic site factors (Jones 1984, Sims andUhlig 1992). During the 1970s, the availability of computing resources and the expansion of multivariate statistical techniques favoured initiating a more quantitative approach to the description and classification of vegetation patterns Maycock 1978, 1981).…”

“…During the 1970s, the availability of computing resources and the expansion of multivariate statistical techniques favoured initiating a more quantitative approach to the description and classification of vegetation patterns Maycock 1978, 1981). These new vegetation description and analysis techniques were ultimately used to develop standard forest ecosystem classification (FEC) systems in Ontario (Sims and Uhlig 1992).…”

“…Thus, the FEC systems were designed to make use of features that could be easily identified in the field to make decisions in a dichotomous key regarding ecosite classification at the stand level (Sims and Uhlig 1992). The FEC systems were largely a field tool that made use of indicator species to inform silviculture; however, large-scale mapping of ecosites was made challenging by subtle topographic differences in regions such as the clay belt, and a general lack of soil maps at a scale appropriate for delineating ecosites (Jones 1984).…”

“…While the FEC systems provided information in support of a variety of management tasks (e.g., prescribed burning, vegetation management, harvest operations, productivity assessment, habitat description); there remained a need to integrate the regional FEC systems into one tool to support modeling and assessment activities (Sims and Uhlig 1992). From 2005 to 2009, a new Ecological Land Classification (ELC) system was developed for the Province of Ontario (Ecological Land Classification Working Group 2009).…”

Biodiversity of Canadian forests: Current status and future challenges

“…Ecosystem classification has received a lot of attention in Canada, with systems having been developed in each province (Corns 1992, MacKinnon et al 1992Sims and Uhlig 1992). The biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification (BEC) system of British Columbia, which has been adapted for use in Alberta, is a hierarchical system that integrates ecosystem variation at regional and local levels and over time.…”