Intensive silviculture and competition theory: linking practice and science

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Intensive silviculture (IS) may resolve some of the challenges currently facing industrial forestry and the landbase that supports it in Canada. These challenges include a short-term over- commitment of commercial fibre, calls for more protected spaces and demand for an increasing variety of products, including high quality wood. IS prescriptions are based on assumptions about the nature of competition in boreal forest systems. First, that the majority of site resources can be effectively directed to crop trees (competitive exclusion) and that some species mixtures better partition the resources available (competitive production). Our project investigates two hypotheses that will address these assumptions and provide guidance for the development of more effective IS interventions. We will use a series of four established trials, in northwestern and northeastern Ontario, at three critical stages of stand development - establishment (5 years), crown closure (20 years) and mature (over 100 years). Historical datasets will be supplemented by new field and laboratory work to capture better estimates of above- and below-ground parameters including root structure and stratification. DNA bar coding will be used to identify root and fungal tissues. Mensurational and process-based data will provide the basis for a new tree-level model that will be linked to tree height and/or crown dimension. Our private sector partners, Tembec Inc and the Forest Research Partnership, require such a model to predict the effects of IS strategies on target species and other key ecosystem parameters (e.g. soil organic matter, nutrient mineralization rates, tree layer productivity). Our public sector partners, Ontario Forest Research Institute and the Canadian Forest Service, require this science to inform the development of forest management policy. All our partners will participate fully in the collection of data, the development of the model and the supervision/mentoring of graduate students and other HQP.