Boreal Forests and Global Change : Peer-reviewed Manuscripts Selected From the International Boreal Forest Research Association Conference, Held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, September 25–30, 1994

Boreal forests form Earth's largest terrestrial biome. They are rich in ecosystem and landscape diversity, though characterized by relatively few plant species, as compared to other forested regions. The long term viability and sustainability of boreal forests is influenced by many factors. They are subject to interruptions at intervals by large-scale natural disturbances, and increasingly by human activities. Boreal ecosystem development is typically a slow process; hence rapid changes in the global environment may invoke complex responses. Many industrial nations border, or lie within, boreal regions, deriving much of their economic wealth and culture from the forests. The response of boreal forests to changes in the global environment - whether caused by direct human activity or by indirect changes such as the anticipated changes in climate - are therefore of considerable international interest, both for their policy implications and their scientific challenges. This book which contains almost 50 peer-reviewed papers from a world-wide group of experts assembled under the auspices of IBFRA, the International Boreal Forest Research Association, covers topics which will stimulate further research and the development of constructive policies for improved management and conservation of global boreal forest resources. Front Matter....Pages i-xv Front Matter....Pages 1-1 West-East Cooperation in Europe for Sustainable Boreal Forests....Pages 3-11 Problems of Forest Management in Russia....Pages 13-23 Conserving the Boreal Forest by Shifting the Emphasis of Management Action from Vegetation to the Atmosphere....Pages 25-34 Forest Operations and Environmental Protection....Pages 35-41 Application of a Bioeconomic Strategic Planning Model to an Industrial Forest in Saskatchewan....Pages 43-55 Emergence of a Biodiversity Concept in Swedish Forest Policy....Pages 57-66 Criteria and Indicators of Sustainable Forest Management in Canada....Pages 67-70 Forestry and the Boreal Forest: Maintaining Inherent Landscape Patterns....Pages 71-76 Forest Health Monitoring in Canada: How Healthy is the Boreal Forest?....Pages 77-85 Bioproductivity of Spruce Stands in Northern European Russia....Pages 87-96 Long-Term Experiments in Selectively Cut Norway Spruce ( Picea Abies ) Forest....Pages 97-105 Reforestation Trials in the Khabarovsk Territory, Russia....Pages 107-113 Artificial Regeneration of Spruce on Cold, Wet Soil: 10 Years Along....Pages 115-124 Structure and Biomass of Larch Stands Regenerating Naturally after Clearcut Logging....Pages 125-131 Desiccation of White Spruce Seedlings Planted in the Southern Boreal Forest of British Columbia....Pages 133-146 Jack Pine ( Pinus banksiana ) Seedling Emergence is Affected by Organic Horizon Removal, Ashes, Soil, Water and Shade....Pages 147-154 Modelling Forest Regeneration Processes in Clear-Cut and Burned Areas in the Angara Region....Pages 155-160 Using Fuel Characteristics to Estimate Plant Ignitability for Fire Hazard Reduction....Pages 161-170 Simulation of Mixedwood Management of Aspen and White Spruce in Northeastern British Columbia....Pages 171-178 Application of Science to Environmental Impact Assessment in Boreal Forest Management: The Saskatchewan Example....Pages 179-188 Front Matter....Pages 189-189 Nitrogen Mineralization in Boreal Forest Stands of Isle Royale, Northern Michigan....Pages 191-202 The Boreal Forest Transect Case Study: Global Change Effects on Ecosystem Processes and Carbon Dynamics in Boreal Canada....Pages 203-214 Litter Quality and Its Potential Effect on Decay Rates of Materials from Canadian Forests....Pages 215-226 Dynamics of the Dead Wood Carbon Pool in Northwestern Russian Boreal Forests....Pages 227-238 Carbon Pools and Fluxes of 25-Year Old Coniferous and Deciduous Stands in Middle Siberia....Pages 239-246 Carbon Stock and Deposition in Phytomass of the Russian Forests....Pages 247-256 A Survey of the Forest Site Characteristics in a Transect through the Central Canadian Boreal Forest....Pages 257-270 Carbon in Vegetation of Russian Forests: Methods to Estimate Storage and Geographical Distribution....Pages 271-282 Simulating Carbon Dynamics of the Boreal Forest in Pukaskwa National Park....Pages 283-298 Simulating Carbon Storage in Forests of Eastern Russia....Pages 299-308 Simulation of Forest and Wood Product Carbon Budget under a Changing Climate in Finland....Pages 309-320 An Analysis of Future Carbon Budgets of Canadian Boreal Forests....Pages 321-331 A System for Evaluation of Growth and Mortality in Russian Forests....Pages 333-348 Front Matter....Pages 349-349 Boreal Forest Catchments: Research Sites for Global Change at High Latitudes....Pages 351-361 The Nashwaak Experimental Watershed Project: Analysing Effects of Clearcutting on Soil Temperature, Soil Moisture, Snowpack, Snowmelt and Stream Flow....Pages 363-374 Temporal and Spatial Variations of Terrestrial Biomes and Carbon Storage Since 13 000 yr BP in Europe: Reconstruction from Pollen Data and Statistical Models....Pages 375-390 The Aspen Parkland in Western Canada: A Dry-Climate Analogue for the Future Boreal Forest?....Pages 391-400 Potential Effects of Climatic Change on Some Western Canadian Forests, Based on Phenological Enhancements to a Patch Model of Forest Succession....Pages 401-414 Boreal Forest Futures: Modelling the Controls on Tree Species Range Limits and Transient Responses to Climate Change....Pages 415-428 Disturbance Impacts on Forest Temporal Dynamics....Pages 429-436 Front Matter....Pages 349-349 Predicting the Effects of Climate Change on Fire Frequency in the Southeastern Canadian Boreal Forest....Pages 437-444 Effects of Climate Change on Insect Defoliator Population Processes in Canada’s Boreal Forest: Some Plausible Scenarios....Pages 445-454 Global Carbon Dynamics of Higher Latitude Forests During an Anticipated Climate Change: Ecophysiological Versus Biome-Migration View....Pages 455-464 Pattern and Change of a Boreal Forest Landscape in Northeastern China....Pages 465-476 Description of the Canadian Regional Climate Model....Pages 477-482 Aspen Bark Photosynthesis and Its Significance to Remote Sensing and Carbon Budget Estimates in the Boreal Ecosystem....Pages 483-497 Using Aerial Photography and Satellite Imagery to Monitor Forest Cover in Western Siberia....Pages 499-507 Monitoring Primary Production from Earth Observing Satellites....Pages 509-522 Front Matter....Pages 523-523 First Nation’s Perspective on the Boreal Forest....Pages 525-527 Back Matter....Pages 529-548