Logging | Boreal At Memorial

Logging and Deforestation

History

Logging has been an important activity in the Boreal forest for many years. The timber is used primarily for making lumber and paper. Within the last 100 years, logging has had a huge effect on the landscape. Increased technology, such as harvesters, allows companies to cut down vast forests in order to harvest a few selected species. In the Boreal, a major harvested tree species is black spruce, as it is known for its paper products. Harvesters enter an old growth forest and remove entire stands. Another group of trees that are prone to logging are the pines. Pines are sought after for many reasons. They are tall, straight, great for lumber, and firewood. Black spruce have been able to maintain a healthy population, but pines have not. It is now illegal to cut a standing pine on the island of Newfoundland.

Effects of Logging

Logging also has a huge effect on other species. With clear-cutting, large amounts of natural habitats are lost. Species rely on the trees for food, and shelter. Species that have been hit hard by logging include the Newfoundland martin, caribou, many bird species including owls and woodpeckers, and of course various plant species such as the pines.

Progress

There has been some progress in management of to date. Clear-cutting is now reduced to selective cutting, where only the target species is harvested, permits areas have now been allotted to individuals wanting to cut fire wood, instead of cutting where they choose. Most importantly, replanting programs have been implemented to restore harvested Species to ensure a faster recovery of the stand. See current action plans.

Photo Credit: http://6452ck.edublogs.org/2008/06/02/logging-pictures/

Photo Credit: http://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/showthread.php?16428-Logging-Equipment-

References:

Holtsmark, B. (2012). Harvesting in boreal forests and the biofuel carbon debt. Climatic Change, 112(2), 415-428.

Kouki, J. (2004). Long-term persistence of aspen – a key host for many threatened species – is endangered in old-growth conservation areas in finland. Journal for Nature Conservation, 12(1), 41-52.

Colombo, S. J. (2012). Forest protection and forest harvest as strategies for ecological sustainability and climate change mitigation. Forest Ecology and Management, 281, 140-151.

Bouget, C. (2012). Effects of fuelwood harvesting on biodiversity — a review focused on the situation in europe this article is one of a selection of papers from the international symposium on dynamics and ecological services of deadwood in forest ecosystems. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 42(8), 1421-1432.

Bayne, E. (2011). Temporal trends in bird abundance in response to thinning of lodgepole pine ( ). Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 41(10), 1917-1927.

For more information check out Ontario Natures website.